The Golden Quartet
by thenameistannasaur
Summary: Four very different teenages become the youngest members of the Order to rebel against the new villain who claims to be continuing what Lord Voldemort started. But it's not going to be easy - are they prepared for all the pressure, the fighting and the obstacles? Read to find out. AU / Many OCs / Canon Characters are slightly OOC
1. A Turn of Events

**Chapter One: A Turn of Events**

"Take cover!" he yelled as he shot a Stunning spell in the direction of the dark mass speeding towards them. Amidst the many screams, he could hear his team members shouting various spells and he could see different coloured sparks flying into the dark of night.  
"Retreat!" he called out. They ran, backwards, hurrying to put up the protective spells that would block out their attackers.

* * *

"Elbows off the table, Natasha."  
She scowled at her mother as she did what she was told. Abra, her house elf, brought around the dessert, which she downed hastily before excusing herself from the dinner table. She still had some packing to do. Unfortunately, she was also very good at procrastinating, so upon entering her room, she sat down on the couch, wondering what she'd learn at school this year. Perhaps something that'd help her later on in life. She laughed at herself. Here she was, contemplating her future when she still had a full year of schooling to get through. There was still plenty of time left for everything. She got into her pyjamas and headed for bed.

The following morning, Natasha made her way downstairs excitedly. She was to start her seventh and final year at Hogwarts later that day. She was going to see all of friends, learn new things, re-learn old things, perhaps make some new friends, and it was her plan to make an impact on the school before she left. She entered the kitchen and noticed both her mother and father standing there, talking quietly. Before she had the chance to wish them a good morning, her mother turned to her.  
"You're not going back."  
"I'm sorry, what?" Natasha asked, hoping that her ears had deceived her.  
"Hogwarts. You aren't returning," her mother repeated.  
"Why not?" Natasha crossed her arms and looked at her parents. "Is Ellen going back?"  
"No," her father replied shortly. "Natasha, this is not the time to be stubborn. Listen to your mother." He sighed. She noticed that he looked very sleep-deprived.  
"Fine," she said quietly. "What do you need me to do?"  
She looked from her mother to her father. She had only seen them in this state once before – twelve years ago.  
"Pack your possessions in a trunk, we're leaving shortly," her mother said sternly.  
Natasha nodded and headed back upstairs, trying to hide her emotions. What were her parents playing at? This was an important year for her. They knew that it was an important year for her. She slammed the door to her room and sat down on her bed.

* * *

He looked behind him. They were getting farther away, but he knew there was a dead end ahead.  
"Regroup!" he called. His team huddled quickly. "They're going to catch up."  
"What do we do?" a panicked voice asked. A few people coughed.  
"We could break through the glass?" someone suggested.  
"We're underground," he said.  
"The fires, would they still work? In the Atrium," another person suggested.  
His eyes sparkled, "You know, that may work."  
"How are we going to get to the other side?" someone asked sceptically.  
"We'll fly," he said. He ran to the nearest storage cupboard and pulled out a few brooms. "Partner up."  
"Merlin's beard! Where did these come from?"  
He shrugged, "I stashed them here in my first few years here. I knew they'd come in handy one day." He grinned and climbed onto his own broom. "Ready?"  
Most of them nodded at him. They took off into the air.  
"Attack!" he yelled.

* * *

"Where are we going?"  
"Tamsin, stop whining and get on with your packing. I didn't have to ask your sister twice," her mother said.  
"I want to know where we are going," Tamsin said again. "You can't just pull me out of school to take me to some unknown place!"  
"She just did," her sister piped up. Tamsin stuck her tongue out at her elder sister.  
"Mum, it's not fair! Bridget finished school, I want to finish too!"  
"It's out of the question," her mother said, putting her hands on her hips to show that she was cross. "Now stop bothering me and get on with your packing."  
"Fine, I'll go bother Dad," Tamsin muttered. She left the living room and searched for her father. She found him in his study,  
"Dad, Mum says that I can't go back to Hogwarts," Tamsin complained.  
"She's right, my dear," her father said, looking at her sadly.  
"But why?" Tamsin stretched out the word. Her father stood up and pulled her into a hug.  
"You'll find out soon enough, I hate keeping you in the dark, but it's for your own good."  
Tamsin sighed, "How soon?"  
"Soon enough," her father replied, trying hard not to be impatient. "Now go get your trunk and bring it downstairs."  
She left the room without a word.

* * *

The screams were deafening. The collapsing pillars threatened to fall on them, but they swerved, in and out, between enemies, between foes, between stone blocks…  
"Almost there," he said quietly to himself. "Almost there."  
He turned around and saw that his team was in trouble. He could have gone ahead and saved himself. The path was clear. However, he turned around.  
"STUPEFY! IMPEDIMENTA! EXPELLIARMUS!" he shouted, casting spell after spell. "NO!"

* * *

He stared at the front page of the Daily Prophet as he took a sip of his orange juice.  
"Bad, isn't it?" his father asked him. He nodded and began reading the article. Reaching the end, he folded the paper in half and tossed it aside.  
"Can you please pass the toast?" he asked. Kreacher brought it around for him. "Thank you, Kreacher."  
"Adler," his father looked at him. His mother came into the room and stood behind him supportively.  
"Father," Adler replied. "Mother."  
"Adler, we have some bad news," his mother said, holding back a bit.  
"Can you please just get on with it so I can decide for myself if it's bad or not?" Adler said.  
"We know how much your education means to you," his father said slowly.  
"There's a but isn't there?" Adler interrupted.  
His mother nodded. His father was about to speak, but Adler cut across him.  
"I'm dropping out of school, aren't I? Oh my wizard God, I'm dropping out of school. I am not ready for this," Adler panicked.  
"Adler," his mother said gently. "Honey, you're overreacting."  
"I cannot drop out of school!" Adler said, doing his best to keep his voice down. "What am I to do with my life now!"  
"Would it help if we said that your life was in danger?" his father asked grimly.  
"What!" Adler, who had started pacing, faced his father. "My life is in danger! Great," he said sarcastically, sitting down again. "Anything else I need to know?"  
His mother looked to his father and shrugged, "We'll be leaving soon, so get changed."  
Adler put his head in his hands and groaned.

* * *

"RETREAT!" he called once again. His team shot their last spells and backed away from the incoming forces. There were too many of them. They were foolish to think that they could win.  
"Back to the fires," he said hoarsely. His team rushed past him. He was left standing there, broom in one hand, wand in the other. The enemy had stopped, he knew that they were confused. Then they spotted him. He clambered onto the broom and flew into the air, dodging spells that were being thrown at him.  
"Incendio!" he yelled, pointing towards the pile of pamphlets near the Atrium. There was a whoosh and flames engulfed the building within seconds. He whipped around and flew towards the greenish tinge, where the Floo network would take him to safety. He spun around. He didn't know where he had landed, but he took one look at the bright lights shining down towards him and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

* * *

His uncle's tone had told him that this was something serious. Something that he should be worried about. Something that may or may not change his life forever. And then he had some kind of clarity.  
"The Ministry has fallen," his uncle had told him in a quiet voice. "You will not be going to Hogwarts this year."  
He had accepted it almost straightaway. Uncle Severus didn't joke, so he didn't even have to question it.  
"Beathen, I cannot stress how important this is," Uncle Severus spoke after a few minutes of silence. "I'll be sending you to a safe house."  
"Where will you go, Uncle Sev?" Beathen asked.  
"I need to do all I can to help," Uncle Severus replied. He pat Beathen's arm. "You will be in good hands."  
"Why can't I help too?"  
Uncle Severus stopped. He turned to face his nephew, and his face softened. "I know how much you'd like to help, and we could use your excellent duelling, but you are not of age, Beathen. You must go into hiding."  
Beathen began to protest, but his Uncle's face hardened again as he turned away. Beathen knew that he would waste his breath if he argued anymore.

* * *

"Nice place," Natasha commented as she looked up at the ruins of a castle. "This should be a _very comfortable_ stay. Just like Hogwarts." She rolled her eyes. Her parents ignored her.  
Natasha made a face behind her parents' back. Ellen laughed at her.  
"Are other people going to be here?" Ellen asked her father, who pretended not to hear her. She looked to her sister. "There is. I saw people in the window."  
"That's great, Ellen. Keep walking," she prodded her sister in the back.  
There was a moat. Natasha stayed in the middle of the drawbridge, whereas Ellen ran from one side to the other looking into the water underneath. They entered through double doors, and found themselves in a large, cavernous room. In many ways, the castle was just like Hogwarts, and though it looked like ruins on the outside, Natasha and Ellen were shocked to find the interior decorated with chandeliers, ornate rugs, and antique furniture. They heard voices, and another family came through from a door to the left.

"What are you doing here?" Natasha asked, surprised as she recognised the people who had just walked into the room.  
"What are you doing here?" Adler asked.  
"Oh, Regulus, this is ridiculous!" Natasha's mother addressed Adler's father. "The Order better have a good excuse for sending us here."  
"Amelinda, you know it's for the best," Regulus said calmly. He shook Natasha's father hand. "Perseus."  
"Regulus, Ginevra," Perseus nodded. "Good to see you again."  
"If only it were in better times," Ginevra said. Amelinda and Perseus nodded in response.  
"What's going on?" Ellen and Natasha asked at the same time.  
"I was wondering the same thing," a voice drifted over from the bottom of the staircase. They turned to see who it was.  
"Beathen," Adler said. "What are you doing here?"  
"Same thing you're doing here, I suppose," Beathen shrugged.  
"Which is?" Natasha mouthed to her sister, who also shrugged.  
"Beathen? Are you talking to someone?" someone called from the next room.  
"Is that Severus?" Regulus asked Beathen.  
"Yeah," Beathen replied. He stood in the doorway. "Uncle Sev? Uncle Regulus is here to see you."  
"For Wizard God's sake, what the hell is going on!" Natasha asked, feeling frustrated.  
"Don't tell me you've been left out of the loop?" Beathen teased. She crossed her arms, her face emotionless.  
"The Ministry has fallen," Adler said.  
"I knew that was going to happen one day," Natasha rolled her eyes.  
"Yoohoo, anyone home?" another family came in through the double doors.  
"Ah, Elladora, Darcius, you've made it," Severus said coming forward to greet them.  
"Yes, yes, Tamsin had a little trouble getting her pet turtle into its cage," Elladora said. Tamsin turned red, but didn't say anything. "Arthur said that he'll be here shortly with the rest of them."  
"You kids better pick your rooms then," Darcius said with a booming laugh. The adults joined in, while the younger ones looked at him, an astound look plastered on each of their faces.

"Hi Tamsin," Adler called her over to where he, Beathen and Natasha were standing.  
"Hey," she greeted them. "It may just feel like being at Hogwarts with you three here." She smiled at them.  
"Yeah, maybe," Beathen said. "The Weasleys are all going to be here too."  
"So what is this place?" Tamsin asked.  
"It's a safe-house," Adler explained. "As I was telling Natasha before your arrival, the Ministry has fallen."  
"Are you serious?" Tamsin gasped.  
"I am."  
They turned.  
"Uncle Sirius!" Natasha exclaimed. She hugged him. "It's good to see you."  
"It's great to see you too, Natasha," he laughed. "You too, Beathen, Tamsin, Adler."  
"This is just like a huge family reunion," Bridget commented drily.  
"Well, you've got to put up with it, dear," Elladora picked up her daughter's sarcasm, and sighed. "It's for the best."  
"I still don't understand why we're here," Tamsin said loudly.  
"It's a safe-house," Adler repeated quietly.  
"Yeah, but isn't Hogwarts meant to be the safest place in the world?" Tamsin asked him.  
"For some," Severus spoke up. "For you, no."  
"Why?" Ellen and Natasha asked at the same time.  
"We seriously need to stop doing that!" Natasha told her sister. "It's creepy."  
"Sorry," Ellen whispered back.  
"Let's head to the conference room. We're all going to need a seat, and perhaps a drink, before we tell, and you hear, this story," Perseus prompted. The others nodded. Ginevra waved her wand and sent the trunks upstairs. They followed Elladora into the conference room.

"I need to leave in fifteen minutes," Severus announced before some had even sat down. A few people nodded at him to show that they understood.  
"Where are you going?" Beathen asked his uncle.  
"Beathen, do you remember the talk we had this morning?" Severus asked. "There was one thing I forgot to add, please do not ask me any questions."  
Beathen scowled, but didn't persist any further.  
"Where shall we start?" Darcius asked, looking around at the other parents.  
"Why don't you start, Darcy?" Amelinda said. Perseus nodded in approval.  
Darcius cleared his throat and looked down at his two daughters. Bridget looked around the room, not meeting her father's eye, and Tamsin tapped her fingers impatiently on the table.

"Twelve years ago –" Darcius began.  
"The Second Wizarding War was still raging on," Bridget interrupted. "Yes, Dad, we know. You've told us this story a million times."  
"Bridget, let your father talk," Elladora scolded. Bridget slumped back in her chair.  
Darcius thanked his wife, cleared his throat and began again. "Twelve years ago, the Second Wizard War was still raging on. I hate to admit it, but back then, we –"  
"By 'we', he means all of us," Regulus interrupted. They all glared at him. "Sorry," he added hastily.  
"- we were on the Dark Side. We had made an alliance with the Dark Lord," Darcius said, a pained expression on his face. "In return for our safety, freedom and immunity from the warzones, we offered shelter to the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters. He trusted us – we were his 'humble servants.' He sought us out because we were of ancient pure-blood. It was Severus who saved us, actually."  
The younger generation looked to Severus, who bowed his head to avoid their curious eyes.  
"And then," Darcius continued. "When Harry defeated him, we were overjoyed. We were finally out of this mess. While the other Death Eaters were rounded up and sent to Azkaban, we were kept safe by our pact with the Dark Lord, even though he was dead."  
"You haven't explained why we're here, Uncle Darcy," Natasha said.  
"Sirius," Darcius looked at the other man. "Do you want to explain what's happening now?"  
"As you may or may not have heard, the Ministry has fallen. Harry and his team of Aurors haven't been able to keep out the enemy forces, so all the decent witches and wizards have gone into hiding."  
"But, Uncle Sirius?" Adler interrupted. "You said enemy forces, and I read in the Daily Prophet, which by the way is the underground version, that there were enemy forces too…who are they exactly?"  
"Someone by the name of Hector von Rubenstein has been collecting Death Eaters to join his Army," Sirius said seriously. "He's made it his goal to take over from where Voldemort left off. For the past year or so, he's kept the Ministry busy by killing off random families of Muggles, and torturing innocent wizardkind. He wants to wipe out all Muggle-borns."  
Severus coughed loudly. Beathen thumped him on the back.  
"We're pure-bloods," Tamsin pointed out.  
"Pure-bloods who switched sides," Elladora said pointedly.  
"I don't…oh…" Tamsin said, drifting off mid-sentence. "He's looking for us, isn't he?"  
"The Death Eaters remember the four families that housed them during their prime time, and they know that those four families got off without any ah…punishment," Severus said.  
"If he finds us, he will kill us," Amelinda whispered.  
The door burst open.

They all jumped in their seats.  
"Harry!" Beathen exclaimed.  
"Sorry I'm late, chaos at the new HQ," Harry said, taking a seat.  
"Not a problem, Potter," Severus stood up. "Goodbye."  
"You're leaving?" Harry asked. "Now?"  
"Yes, Potter," Severus sighed. "I'm already late for my meeting with Shacklebolt."  
"I was just with him," Harry said. "He's not in a very good mood."  
"I'll keep that in mind. Good day to you all," Severus spun on his heel and left the room.  
"So what'd I miss?" Harry looked around at his extended family.  
"We just got told the most thrilling story, Harry," Ellen said. "Hector von Rubenstein sounds like a character."  
Harry's eyes narrowed, "That scumbag is the reason I set the Ministry on fire."  
"That was you?" Adler asked in awe.  
"I had no choice," Harry said. "It was fire or surrender."  
"So what's the plan now?" Sirius asked his godson.  
"We regroup, build up The Order of the Phoenix again, and then we take von Rubenstein on."  
"What do we do?" Tamsin asked.  
"You stay out of trouble," her father answered shortly.  
The door burst open for the second time that morning. Someone poked their head through.  
"Oh hello," he said, looking around. "Fancy seeing you here."  
"Arthur, come on in and join us!" Elladora said welcomingly to her brother. "Where's Molly?"  
"She's coming," Arthur replied, taking Severus's vacant chair.  
"You can leave now," Perseus looked at his children. Ellen stood up, and pulled her sister with her. Natasha gave Beathen a look, and he too stood up.  
"Come on," he said to Tamsin, Bridget and Adler. They left the room.

They headed upstairs and found that their names had been etched into a plaque on a few doors in the first floor hallway. They castle was big enough for each person to have a room, so instead of crowding around and complaining like they thought they would, they curiously entered their given rooms. They each found that their trunks had been delivered and all they had to do was unpack.  
In Tamsin's room, which was decked in yellow hangings, she lay down on her bed and looked up at the roof, which was enchanted to look like the night sky, just like the ceiling of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. She now understood why they couldn't go back to Hogwarts, but that didn't mean she liked it. She and the others were paying for something that her parents had done twelve years ago. This wasn't right. As it was still daytime, Tamsin decided to get up and unpack her belongings. Pulling out her apple wand, she swished and flicked a few times applying some handy household spells that she had learnt while at school to her room. In no time, she was done. Readjusting the tassels on her purple lamp, for purple was her favourite colour, she looked around contentedly. The room now replicated the one she had left behind at Peverell Manor. There was a knock the door.  
"Hey," she opened the door, greeting Natasha.  
"Hey," Natasha replied. "All done?"  
"Yeah." She nodded.  
"We were thinking of exploring the house. Would you like to come?" Natasha asked.  
"Uh, sure," Tamsin said. She flicked her wand, wordlessly turning out the lights in her room, and followed the rest of them downstairs.

For the next hour and a half, the six teenagers - Tamsin, her sister Bridget, Beathen, Adler, Natasha and her sister Ellen - had a good look around the castle. They found many things out of the ordinary, but did not think twice about them, as they were used to the eccentricities of Hogwarts. Throughout the course of their tour, they found themselves in a cavernous hall, which they could only guess was used to hold magnificent balls that could rival Hogwarts's own Yule Ball. Natasha was thrilled to find a piano in another room and played a few notes for the others to hear. Adler found his place among the books in the library, and he settled there while the others continued to look around. All too soon, they arrived back in the Entrance Hall, just as the adults filed out of the conference room.  
"Having fun?" Harry asked them.  
"Sure," Ellen shrugged. "Where are the others?"  
"Having lunch," Amelinda told her daughter. "We shall join them momentarily."  
"Okay, I mean, yes mother."

Lunch was a noisy affair. All three generations of the Weasleys had arrived and they had lots of catching up to do. Teddy Lupin, who was meant to be starting his third-year that day, complained to anyone who would listen to him - mainly Ellen, as she was in the same year-level, but in a different house. Victoire Weasley and Fred Weasley II were even more disappointed as they were meant to be starting their first-year. Beathen talked to Rose and Hugo Weasley, who were telling him about the gnomes in their backyard that they had to leave behind. Adler was trying to get Dominique to read a new book, which of course, being a seven-year-old, she refused to. Roxanne, who was sitting next to Dominique, commented that she didn't like books, which prompted Adler to give them a lecture on why books were good for them. Bridget was having a conversation with Percy Weasley about jobs at the Ministry. She too was disappointed because she had to defer her placement because of this unfortunate debacle. Tamsin was entertaining the younger Weasleys and Potter - Lily, Louis, Molly and Lucy - by making funny faces while eating. Ginny smiled at Hermione as the two were reminded of when Nymphadora Tonks used to do that at the dinner table when the old Order of the Phoenix was up and running. Natasha was talking to James and Albus Potter about Quidditch, with Harry and Sirius occasionally joining in. Molly Weasley ran in and out of the kitchen, bringing in platters of food one after the other. She refused to let the house elves do it. Beathen looked around, making sure nobody was watching him. He slipped a note to Tamsin, who was sitting across from him.  
"Read it and pass it on," he said softly, nodding to both Natasha and Adler. Tamsin nodded to show that she understood. She took a peek at the note, took a minute to register it and then passed it on to Natasha. Natasha skimmed through it quickly and passed it to Adler.  
_'Meet in the library, 11pm tonight. -B.'_

That night, the four of them snuck out, though at different times, so they didn't run into each other. Tamsin, who was the last one to sneak out, hurried down the hallway towards the library, and was surprised to see the others crowded around the library door.  
"Why aren't we going in?" she asked.  
"It's locked," Adler told her. Tamsin paused, and then she laughed.  
"You guys are idiots," she said. Pulling out her wand, she whispered, "Alohomora," and heard the lock click.  
"Why didn't we think of that?" Natasha asked in amazement. Tamsin just laughed at her.

They made themselves comfortable in four armchairs that surrounded a small table.  
"What's all this about, Beathen?" Adler asked, once they had settled in.  
"This is about...Hector von Rubenstein," Beathen replied shortly.  
Natasha nodded, "We need to do something about it."  
"But we can't," Adler said.  
"Always the pessimist," Tamsin commented, smiling slightly.  
"Do you remember when Voldemort was at large?" Beathen asked.  
"Yeah, I may have been only three or four, but I still remember," Adler said. "Why?"  
"Dumbledore started up the Order of the Phoenix again, right?" Beathen looked around. "And Harry started up Dumbledore's Army."  
"So you're suggesting we start up Dumbledore's Army?" Natasha asked, smirking.  
"Well, yeah," Beathen shrugged. "It'll have to be underground though, because we're not of age." He scowled.  
"Not bad, Prince," Natasha sat back in her armchair and folded her arms, looking at Beathen. "Not bad at all."  
"I don't like it," Adler spoke up. "What if we get caught?"  
"We aren't going to get caught," Beathen said. "Not if we're careful."  
"Okay fine, say we go ahead with this, what exactly do we do?"  
"We gather information, and undertake secret missions," Tamsin said. Beathen and Natasha nodded.  
"We'll aid the Order as much as we can," Beathen said. "Though secretly."  
"And gathering information shouldn't be too difficult," Natasha said. "Half of the Order are push-overs."  
"To you," Tamsin rolled her eyes, and muttered, "Manipulating witch." Natasha just grinned at her.  
"You guys are forgetting something," Adler said.  
"What's that, smarty-pants?" Natasha turned to him.  
"We haven't fully completed our magical education yet," Adler said. "We still need to practice our spell work and catch up on our studies."  
"Fine, we can do that too," Beathen said, looking around. "We are in the library after all."  
"Will it just be us four?" Tamsin asked.  
"I think so," Beathen answered before the others had a chance to say. Natasha, who opened her mouth to answer, closed it and nodded once. Beathen continued, "It will be better and easier to keep quiet that way."  
"So are we all in?" Natasha looked around at each other them.  
They all nodded, Adler a little hesitantly.  
"Sweet," Beathen pulled four bottles of Butterbeer out of his pocket.  
"How...?" Tamsin drifted off, wondering how Beathen managed to get them there.  
"Undetectable Extension Charm?" Adler smirked. Beathen nodded, handing out the bottles. "Cheers."  
Natasha clinked her bottle with the others' and took a sip.  
"Let the rebellion begin!"

* * *

_**A/N: **A few notes - my friends and I started this story last year, but I kind of tweaked it a bit so it has more of a storyline. Yes, we did a Stephenie Meyer and put ourselves into the story, but we're hoping we've done a better job. We have just borrowed Jo's characters and some of her storyline, so you find that some characters are very...out of character. Because this chapter is so ambiguous and all over the place (intentional, of course), I'm hoping that you've picked up on the following things:_

_- There are four main characters: Natasha, Tamsin, Adler and Beathen. They were meant to be starting their seventh-year at Hogwarts, but they couldn't go back because their lives were endangered due to a bad decision made by their parents twelve years ago. They are all of ancient pure-blood and are all sixteen years of age._

_- Sirius, Regulus and Severus are all alive - you'll find that most characters who died in the HP series are alive..._

_- Kingsley Shacklebolt is still the Minister for Magic. Harry Potter is still the Head Auror. This is set around 2010._

_- Our villain is Hector von Rubenstein, who is basically taking over from Voldy._

_- Some other things you should know about the characters:_

**Natasha: **mother - Amelinda, father - Perseus, younger sister - Ellen. No known last name yet, house-elf - Abra, is a "manipulating witch".

**Tamsin: **mother - Elladora (sister of Arthur Weasley), father - Darcius, elder sister - Bridget (finished Hogwarts the year before). She used to live in Peverell Manor - so it's safe to assume that Peverell is her last name. She has a pet turtle, her favourite colour is purple, she has yellow hangings in her room (any guesses to which Hogwarts house she was in?). She also has an apple wand (powerful, best suited for owners of high aims and ideals, mixes poorly with Dark Magic, possessor is well-loved and long-lived and has a great personal charm (from Pottermore)) - that should give you a sense of what she's like as a person.

**Adler**: mother - Ginevra, father - Regulus, house-elf - Kreacher. He loves books, reading and education. He's very doubtful and a little bit pessimistic. I guess you can assume that his last name is "Black" because that is Regulus's last name.

**Beathen: **uncle - Severus (yes, Snape), last name is Prince. No mention of parents. He loves to help, and loves to be in control of things.

_-What to expect next chapter:_

_* You'll learn more about Natasha and her family, and you'll find out which House she was in while at Hogwarts, if you haven't guessed already._

_* They will begin their plans for rebellion, but something gets in the way._

_* Kinglsey will announce something that will benefit them, but their parents are far from approving._

_* There is a shock appearance and revelation._

**Disclaimer:** What you recognise, JK Rowling owns. What you don't, my friends and I do. Wand wood descriptions are taken from Pottermore. :) x


	2. Hide and Seek

**Chapter Two: Hide and Seek**

After a good night's rest, they found themselves bombarded with a list of house rules the next morning at breakfast. "No leaving the property", "curfew is enforced at 10pm, anyone caught out of bed will clean all the pots and pans without the help of the house-elves, and without the aid of magic" - they grinned at each other guiltily, glad that they weren't caught, "no eavesdropping of the Order's meetings, anyone caught will have their wand taken off them for a certain period of time", "try to be civil with everyone at all times", "don't look for trouble, even if trouble usually finds you", and so on. They listened with the knowledge that they would probably have to break a few dozen rules in order to further their plan for rebellion. After breakfast, the adults shooed the younger generation away for their first meeting.

"What shall we do?" Tamsin looked around at her many cousins and friends.  
"I want to play Quidditch," Lily Potter said in a soft voice.  
"Lily, your feet still touch the ground when you get on your broom," James Potter teased his younger sister.  
Lily pouted and crossed her little arms.  
"Hey, hey, don't fight," Natasha raised her voice a little. She told James off. Lily's face brightened a bit when she saw her brother get into trouble.  
"I don't need a babysitter!" Dominique said loudly, looking towards the elder members of the group. Adler raised an eyebrow at Beathen.  
"We're not babysitting you," Adler said coolly. "You may leave whenever you wish to."  
Dominique stared at him in bewilderment, before grabbing Roxanne's hand. "Let's go play in that treehouse I found in the garden."  
"I want to play in the treehouse too!" Lily whined. Nobody moved, but eventually, Victoire took pity on her and led her, as well as Hugo, Rose and Louis, out to play.  
"Well, as much as fun as sitting around is...Fred and I have something to do," Ellen announced. Natasha watched her sister suspiciously as she and Fred Weasley II walked away, whispering quietly together, but she didn't say anything.  
"Wanna play hide and seek?" James eyes glinted mischievously as he looked at his brother.  
"Okay," Albus shrugged.  
"Can we play too, James?" Tamsin asked him, knowing that he was up to something. James paused for a while before answering her with a yes.  
"Hide and seek?" Natasha asked, feeling slightly confused.  
"It's a Muggle game," Albus piped up. "Aunt Hermione taught it to us."  
"And Grandpa Weasley plays it all the time with us," James added.  
"Oh," Natasha nodded. "Of course." She paused. "Um...what do we have to do...in the game?"  
"Are you playing Teddy?" Beathen asked his younger friend.  
Teddy nodded, "I'll just take these two outside to Victoire first." He looked to Molly and Lucy, "Come on." He took their hands and headed outside.  
"There is a seeker, and they count," Albus said, his face strained as he tried to remember the rules.  
Natasha looked at Adler blankly, "Is this like Quidditch?"  
Adler shrugged, "Why are you asking me? I've never played this before either."  
"And when they finish counting, they look for everyone else," Albus gave a proud smile as he finished.  
"I take it the others hide while the seeker is counting?" Beathen said.  
"We play it all the time in the Hufflepuff Common Room," Tamsin's eyes lit up. "And guess who the reigning champion seeker is!"  
"The Fat Friar?" Adler asked. The others couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but Natasha snorted trying to contain her laughter, Beathen grinned, and Tamsin frowned. James and Albus ignored them, too engrossed in the pillow fight that James had just started.  
"One, two, three," Tamsin started counting really loudly. James and Albus paused for a second and then sprinted off up the staircase, pushing each other from side to side. Tamsin turned to the other three, "You've got to go hide."  
"Okay," Beathen said, ready for a challenge  
"How is she going to find us in the castle? It's huge," Natasha whispered to Adler, who shrugged. Upon reaching the second floor landing, they split up. Beathen headed to a tower and began climbing the never ending stairs, Adler situated himself in a cupboard in a spare room and Natasha found herself in a small chamber leading off from the cavernous hall that was used to hold special events. She left the door open.

"Ready or not, here I come!" they heard Tamsin calling as she climbed the staircase. Tamsin was really happy to be playing hide and seek. It reminded her of the days she and her friends played during her younger years at Hogwarts. She prided herself in being the only one in Hufflepuff to find everyone within a certain period of time. It was strange, she admitted, to be playing with these three though, especially since the majority of them didn't know what the game was. Hopefully, they'd abide by the rules.  
Beathen, having just reached the top of the tower, sat on the ledge of a window and looked outside. It was a beautiful day, perhaps he'd go ride his broom later that afternoon. He also had to figure out a way to steal the Order's information, well, not steal, borrow - he would, of course, return it, not like those thieving Snakes, who "borrowed" and never returned anything. Natasha still had his colour-changing ink.  
Adler was getting bored hiding in his cupboard. He pulled out his wand, whispered, "Lumos," and flicked through the pages of the book he had brought with him. But he couldn't concentrate. Like Beathen, he was worrying about the illegal organisation he had now become a part of. To be fair, he only said it was illegal because he knew that his parents, and the other parents, wouldn't want them to be involved in something like this behind their backs. Adler liked following the rules.  
Natasha looked around the chamber that she was in. It wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. There were little trinkets here and there, a trophy wall and red curtain covering a corner of the room. She didn't pay much attention to it until it started moving. Moving closer to it a little hesitantly, she realised that there were people behind it, whispering. She turned her head, listening for any sounds of Tamsin entering the room, but she couldn't hear her. So she proceeded to the curtain. Pulling it back in a rather triumphant manner, she was surprised to see the revelation of Ellen, Fred and James crowded around a piece of parchment.  
"What are you doing here?" she and Ellen asked at the same time.  
"Ssshhh!" James said holding a finger to his lips. Natasha put her hand on her hips and looked at them expectantly.  
"We're going to prank Albus," Fred finally caved. Ellen and James looked up at her silently. Natasha heard footsteps in the other room. They got louder as the door to the chamber was knocked against the wall behind it.  
"Get away from the curtain," Natasha ordered quietly. They moved back, pressing into the corner. James tugged on her sleeve. She looked down.  
"Invisibility Cloak," he mouthed and pulled it out from under his jumper. She threw it over James, Ellen and Fred, and performed a silent Disillusionment Charm on herself. She had a plan. She peeked from behind the curtain and saw Tamsin sweeping the room with her eyes.

Tamsin was really frustrated. She hadn't found anyone yet. She left the cavernous hall and headed back downstairs, where she bumped into Teddy.  
"Where is everyone?" she asked. Teddy shrugged but promised that he'd help look for them. They found Beathen sitting in the living room which led to the dining room and kitchens. He didn't even look up when Tamsin and Teddy entered the room.  
"Have you been here this whole time?" Tamsin asked, sitting down next to him.  
"No," Beathen replied. "I was up in a tower, but I thought that it was time to...you know..." He nodded towards the closed dining room door. Tamsin nodded. Teddy announced that they were boring and headed back outside.  
"Extendable Ears?" Tamsin suggested after a while.  
"Doesn't work," Beathen said shortly.  
Adler wandered into the room, his nose buried in the book he had started in the cupboard.  
"Where have you been?" Tamsin asked.  
"Hiding," Adler said. "Isn't that the point of the game? We hide and you seek?"  
"Apparently you guys don't want to be found!" Tamsin rolled her eyes. "I searched everywhere."  
Adler was suddenly aware of where he was sitting. He looked at Beathen and Tamsin before turning to face the door to the dining room. "We have to get in there somehow, don't we?"  
"Or listen in, whichever works," Beathen shrugged.  
"I'll see if there are any books in the library that could help -"  
He was, however, cut off by a loud yell that lasted for several seconds.

"Arghhhhhhh! Muuuuummmm! Daaaaaaddddd!" Albus Potter ran past them and banged on the door that they had been eyeing off for the last fifteen minutes or so. Darcius Peverell opened the door and Albus pushed past him into the room. Natasha skidded around the corner and pushed her way in too before Darcius could say anything. Beathen, Tamsin and Adler stood up and made their way over, but Darcius shooed them away. They heard laughter from the behind them and found Fred, Ellen and James rolling around on the floor.  
"Mum, Dad!" Albus said in a panicked voice. Natasha stood behind him, hand on his shoulder to calm down, while eyeing off the documents on the table in front of her.  
"What is it, Albus?" Ginny knelt by him worriedly.  
"A ghost. This place is haunted! I want to go home!" Albus cried.  
"Son, you know ghosts are friendly spirits," Harry said. The other adults had enough tact to engage in their own conversations as Harry and Ginny dealt with their son. "It's the Dementors that you need to worry about."  
"Harry!" Ginny scolded. She glanced at her Aunt Ginevra, who had not joined in any other conversation but watched theirs intently.  
"Dementors?" Natasha paled. "I thought they were gone for good."  
"They're breeding again," Ron said quietly. Hermione told him off. Natasha pretended not to hear him, keeping her cool demeanour, but inside, she was freaking out.  
"Come on, Albus," Natasha tapped him on the shoulder. "I'll get you a treacle tart from the kitchens, would you like that?"  
Albus nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve. Ginny looked at her thankfully. Natasha steered Albus out of the room and called her house elf to bring them treacle tart.  
"Here we go," Natasha handed the platter to him. "Why don't you go play outside in the sun?"  
He nodded sadly and, holding his precious treacle tart, went outside.  
"What happened?" Adler asked when Albus was out of earshot.  
"Good news, or bad news?" Natasha asked and sat down. The others took her lead and sat too.  
"Bad," Beathen said.  
"The Dementors are breeding again," Natasha said. "Ron said it."  
"We've got to practice our Patronuses!" Adler said urgently. "If that's true, right now, we don't stand a chance."  
"Well, thank you, Mister Positive," Tamsin rolled her eyes at him. Adler slumped back in his armchair. "I know the theory, but I've never done it before."  
"Me too," Natasha confessed.  
Beathen didn't comment, but instead asked, "And the good news?"  
She produced a crumpled piece of parchment from her pocket.  
"What's that?" Tamsin asked curiously.  
"I've no idea," Natasha replied honestly. "I swiped it off the table when I went in there," she jerked her head towards the dining room, "with Albus."  
"Gulpin' Gargoyles!" Beathen said softly. "It looks like a map of some kind."  
"It looks important," Adler commented. "We'll probably need to return it."  
"Yes, yes," Natasha said impatiently. "We'll replicate it, after we figure out what it is."  
"What happened with Albus?" Tamsin asked concernedly.  
"Um, James, Ellen and Fred played a prank on him," Natasha said. "James wore a sheet on his head and jumped out at him. Albus was convinced that this place is haunted."  
"But what were _you_ doing there?" Tamsin asked Natasha.  
Natasha bowed her head, "It was the only way I could think of to get in there."  
"From Albus's misfortune?" Tamsin pushed.  
"Well, you guys weren't doing much either!" Natasha snapped. She took the piece of parchment, folded it, put it back in her pocket and left the room.  
"We shouldn't fight," Beathen said quietly. "We must stand united."  
"Oh please," Tamsin turned to him. "You and your teamwork, I bet all you want is glory." She added under her breath, "Stupid Gryffindors."  
"Tamsin, calm down," Adler said.  
"Yeah, right, calm down," Tamsin huffed. "How am I meant to do this? I'm stuck in this hell hole because of my parents. They won't tell me what the hell is going on, and they're forbidding me from doing the things I love. Now, tell me to calm down."  
"Calm down," Adler repeated. Tamsin sat with her head in her hands.

Natasha had stormed off to her room, where she found an owl waiting for her. It held out its leg for her to take the envelope attached, and hooted as she sat down on her bed to read it.  
'_M_,' it began. '_Where are you? Why aren't you at school? We missed you on the Hogwarts Express yesterday, but thought you'd meet us at Hogwarts. Evidently not. It's weird not seeing you around. Let us know._'  
She looked to the bottom of the page. It was signed, _Crabbe_. She sighed. Pulling a piece of parchment towards her, she drafted up a reply.  
'_Crabbe, don't you worry about me. I'm on a family holiday and having the time of my life. Enjoy school, I don't expect to see you anytime soon. M.'  
_She gave Crabbe's owl some owl treats before tying the letter to its leg and sending it off. Sighing, she headed back downstairs to apologise to Tamsin - the one person she couldn't ignore.

* * *

The rest of the day was pretty quiet and after dinner, Charlie Weasley, who had come home from Romania to rejoin the Order, proposed they go outside for a game of Quidditch. He conjured up three hoops on each side of the large area of grass that was to the west of the castle. Adler refused to play and sat under the shade of the tree watching them, having had his book taken off him by his mother. Beathen pulled out his broom, the Firebolt 7 - a gift from his father, energetically and flew into the air as soon as he stepped outside. Tamsin said that she'd keep count of the scores, so she clambered onto her broom and hovered in the air watching the rest of them play. Natasha got really into it, swerving in and out, loving the feel of the wind in her hair. The parents had come out to play too, as well as most of the extended family, although some opted to sit with Adler under the tree.

"Who's that?" Ron, who was playing his old position as Keeper, looked towards the drawbridge of the castle, which had lowered. A few people were walking across it. Natasha, who was near him at the time, looked as well, and seemed to recognised them because she let out a little scream of excitement and flew quickly towards them. Ron followed her.  
"Where are they going?" Beathen flew past Tamsin, who shrugged. Beathen flew down and picked up Adler - who got onto the broom despite his fear of heights, and followed Tamsin towards the entrance of the castle. The other Weasleys and Potters kept playing.  
Natasha were greeting the visitors enthusiastically when Ron, Beathen, Adler and Tamsin caught up. Ron stopped.

"You! What are you doing here?" he spat.  
"I invited them," Harry came out of the front doors to see what the commotion was.  
"Why?" Ron asked, still feeling bitter about the events that happened twelve years ago.  
"Well, you see, the Malfoy family are in the same position as the Peverell, Prince and Black family - they've got ties with Voldemort and weren't punished for it after he died," Harry explained. Ron's face didn't soften, but he stayed quiet. Harry looked at the Malfoys. "Pleasant journey?" he asked civilly.  
Malfoy nodded curtly, "We were tailed by Crabbe, but we managed to get away."  
"Crabbe?" Natasha looked at her cousin. Draco looked down at her. "Vincent?"  
"And his son," Draco replied. Natasha's face fell, and she swore under her breath.  
"Does he know of your whereabouts?" Perseus joined the little group gathering.  
"I don't believe so," Draco replied. He looked to his father for confirmation.  
"We should be safe, for now," Lucius said to _his_ brother. "Hello Perseus."  
"Hello Lucius," Perseus shook his hand. "Fancy us being in this position again."  
Lucius laughed and turned to Narcissa, "Let's go in?"  
She nodded.  
"Draco?" Natasha asked, trying to forget the mess she had gotten herself into.  
"Hm?"  
"Where are Astoria and Scorpius?" she realised that his wife and child were not with him.  
"Astoria took them to her family home. Scorpius is ill and Daphne is a Healer," Draco said. "Let's go inside."

* * *

"Did you see her face?" Adler asked Beathen quietly.  
"No?" Beathen put the political pamphlet he was reading down. "Wait, who?"  
"Tash!" Adler said impatiently. "She's hiding something."  
"How do you know? We don't know each other very well," Beathen said skeptically. "We hardly spoke at school."  
"She and I are cousins," Adler said.  
"But you don't speak often," Beathen said.  
"Yeah, your point? I still know her. Natasha is hiding something," Adler persisted.  
"Fine, let's interrogate her," Beathen stood up.  
"This is going to work out well," Adler commented drily.

"You're really good," Natasha told Tamsin, who was doing her hair. Tamsin pulled a hair-tie off her wrist and tied up Natasha's dark hair. She and Tamsin didn't get a chance to speak much while they were at Hogwarts, because of their separate friendship groups and different timetables, but being extended family, often caught up on the holidays. Tamsin had also forgiven her for her outburst earlier on, and Natasha had promised Tamsin that she would try not to gain from others' misfortunes.  
"Thanks," Tamsin smiled. "We could have started a salon or something at Hogwarts."  
Natasha laughed, "We'd have been filthy rich. Imagine all the gold we would have got. Fred and George did it in their last year of school. Maybe when we go back we could do it."  
"What are you talking about? We are already filthy rich," Tamsin said. She noticed that Natasha sounded hopeful of going back to Hogwarts, but didn't comment on it.  
"We need to talk," Beathen's voice interrupted them.  
Ellen, who was sitting in the same room as Natasha and Tamsin, looked up and sighed, "I suppose that means I have to get lost?"  
"Yes," Natasha said.  
"No," Tamsin said at the same time.  
Ellen hesitated, not knowing what to do. In the end, she opted to leave, seeing the glare that her sister was giving her.  
"What?" Natasha turned to the boys.  
"What's going on? Adler here is convinced that you're up to something," Beathen said.  
"I..." Natasha paused. She knew that if they were all in this together, she would have to be honest. "I got a letter from Crabbe."  
Tamsin gasped, "Vincent? Or Ryder?"  
"Ryder, why would Vincent write to me?"  
"But weren't the Crabbes tracking Lucius and Draco?" Beathen asked, feeling confused.  
"Yeah, I think I aided them," Natasha said quietly. "Unintentionally of course. I am such an idiot."  
"I feel like I'm missing something here..." Adler drifted off, inviting Natasha to tell them more.  
"Ryder lied. He said he was at school, when all that time, he was with his father," Natasha put her head in her hands. "That freaking son of a -"  
Adler cleared his throat, "So they're using Crabbe's owl to find out where the Malfoys were heading."  
"I assume so," Natasha said.  
"I've known Ryder for six years now," Beathen said, his face scrunched up, making him look furious. "And he is damn ruthless. He'd go to any lengths to join the Dark Side."  
"That's not fair, Prince!" Natasha cried. "I've known Ryder for six years too, and he's a very nice boy...most of the time...when he's not lying to his friends," she added under her breath.  
"But why are they tracking the Malfoys? I thought Crabbe and Draco were friends?" Beathen asked.  
"They were!" Natasha said frustratedly. "I don't...this whole thing...I don't get it! I don't understand!"  
"Just drop it," Adler said tiredly. "Can we discuss the map?"  
Natasha was about to argue, but she saw the looks that Beathen and Tamsin gave her, so she closed her mouth. "Fine," she said, pulling out the piece of parchment from her pocket.  
They sat in a circle and stared at the map for a length of time, determining whether it was a house map or a town map, whether they recognised it or not, what the Order planned to do with it. After an hour of discussing, and the suggestions getting wilder and wilder each time, they decided to call it a night, and with curfew right around the corner, they headed to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Adler was woken up by a pleasant surprise. Well, he didn't literally wake up with the surprise...but he found it in the unground version of the Daily Prophet that he read every day.

"_Shacklebolt Makes Reforms - First: Legal Age Lowered  
__Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic, has issued a decree that stated that the legal age for using magic has been lowered to the age of sixteen years old. This is to allow single-parent families with older children, or families who need the aid, to cope efficiently on the rough times that the Minister is expecting. All sixteen year olds are now allowed to do magic outside their schools without being caught by the Ministry. Previously, the age for performing legal magic was seventeen years old. However, the Minister warns that abuse of this new decree will lead to very disastrous consequences. To all sixteen year-olds out there, you are now free to use magic."_

Adler grinned to himself and went to spread the news.  
"This is great!" Beathen said. "We're legal now. They've got to let us join the Order!"  
"Which reminds me, we need to return the map," Tamsin said. She held out her hand for the piece of parchments, which Natasha gave her after dispatching it from the pocket of her robe. Tamsin quickly replicated the map and pocketed the fake version. She returned the original to Natasha.  
"Let's tell them the good news!" Tamsin's eyes glinted excitedly as they stood up and headed downstairs.

Adler shoved the newspaper into Sirius's hands and stood back, a smug look on his face. He crossed his arms and watched his uncle read the article.  
"What do you want me to do with this?" Sirius asked, looking up at them.  
"We'd like to join the Order," Beathen spoke up.  
"Am I missing something? The last time I checked, you were still kids and not even allowed to use magic outside school yet," Bill said. George winked at them.  
Sirius made a face and told the table of Kingsley's new reform.  
"No way," Amelinda laughed. "Not happening."  
"Why not!?" Natasha asked in a loud voice. "You could train us!"  
"It's too dangerous," Perseus said. Natasha looked to Draco, appealing for his sympathy.  
"He's right, you're too young," Draco said expressionlessly, looking anywhere but at his cousin. Natasha scowled.  
"We're not at school anymore," Adler said.  
"It's not the same as completing your education," Hermione said gently.  
"We don't care!" Beathen exclaimed.  
"You should," Molly shook her ladle at him. "Your education will be the one thing you need in the future."  
"What future?" Tamsin said softly. The adults quietened and looked at her sadly.  
"We will deal with Von Rubenstein, sweetheart," Darcius told his daughter.  
Harry looked at them empathetically, torn that he couldn't do more to help them. He remembered being in the same situation many years ago. He took a breath before telling them, "I'm glad that you're now allowed to do magic legally, but as you're not technically of age yet, we cannot let you join the Order."  
"That's not fair!" Beathen shouted and ran out of the room.  
Tamsin's head dropped as she walked over to grab a piece of toast. Adler snatched his newspaper back, sat in a chair and held it up in front of his face. Natasha shrugged at Harry, as she knew that this was a fruitless attempt - no way would they let four teens join the Order. She sat next to him and making sure that no one was watching, slid the map into the coat that was slung over his chair.

The rest of the day consisted of many complaints. Beathen refused to speak to anyone on the Order. Instead, he vented to his friends all through lunch and dinner. After dinner and dessert - Molly made a special effort to make their favourites, to ease the pain of rejection - they headed upstairs into the drawing room to discuss what their next plan was going to be. However, that didn't go so well. Beathen was still feeling sulky, so Natasha and Adler just sat and talked about the Black family tree.  
"Guys," Tamsin said. Her tone wasn't harsh, but fearful, which made them stop their conversation straightaway.  
"What's the matter?" Adler asked.  
"Come here," Tamsin said softly, her tone still fearful. She stood next to a window which overlooked the moor and the drawbridge. "He's here."  
"Who's here?" Beathen asked sharply.  
"Ryder Crabbe."  
"Shit."  
"What do we do?" Tamsin whispered. She watched as the drawbridge lowered magically.  
"Tell someone. There are more of us than them...if they've come to fight, we can defend ourselves..." Beathen said, thinking, he believed, very strategically.

They ran downstairs and burst into the dining room, where it seemed most of the adults enjoyed spending their free time. The panic must have shown on their faces as the adults cut their laughter short and enquired what was wrong.  
"Crabbe's here," Natasha said, looking at her uncle. Lucius stood up, pulling his wand out. He nodded at his niece.  
"Stay here," he ordered. He, Draco, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Perseus left the room.  
"Bloody heroes," Beathen muttered. "Coming?" he turned to his friends. The mothers headed upstairs to check up on their children. Molly scrubbed the table harder.  
"Lucius said stay," Adler said.  
"Yes, stay here," Ginevra said. "All my nieces and nephews are going already, you don't need to go."  
Beathen and Natasha stared at him angrily.  
"Fine," Adler caved. "Mother, I'm going."  
"But -" Ginevra began to protest, but Adler and his friends had already left. "When did he get so rebellious?" she turned to face her husband. Regulus just shrugged. Ginevra sighed.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry pointed his wand at the two figures approaching them. They saw two wands fly into the air, illuminated by the torches that Hermione had just conjured. Ron caught them, and grinned, despite the situation that they were in. This was just like old times.  
"We come in peace," a gruff voice said. Vincent Crabbe stepped forward, holding his hands up.  
"Why were you following us?" Draco said coldly. The light from the torches were reflected in his grey eyes, flickering slightly.  
"You wouldn't stop, so we had to follow you until you did," Crabbe replied.  
"I don't understand," Harry spoke up. "Why did you need him?"  
Crabbe shrugged, "The Malfoys are a good family to have as your allies in a war like this one."  
"So _you're _calling it a war too?" Ginny said quietly.  
"What do you mean?" Crabbe asked, his confusion apparent.  
"Von Rubenstein refuses to think of it as a war," Perseus said. "He likes to think that it is how society should be run."  
"That's new," Tamsin whispered. They were crouching on either side of the doors that led outside and could see, and hear, the meeting with the Crabbes clearly.  
Crabbe's eyes narrowed as he heard what Perseus said. "Von Rubenstein has done nothing but damage," Crabbe said, his voice low but conveying the anger that he now felt. He took a breath to calm down. "I assume you're fighting against him?"  
Draco nodded at his old friend. He was about to say something when Natasha walked out and stood next to her father.  
"Malfoy!" Ryder exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"  
"I told you, Crabbe," Natasha said. She smiled, but the warmth did not reach her eyes. "Family holiday."  
"Natasha, what are you doing here?" Perseus looked at his daughter. Tamsin, Beathen and Adler came out of their hiding spot.  
"Well, Crabbe here told me that he was at school," Natasha told her father. "I just wanted some answers."  
Beathen gripped his wand tightly. Tamsin saw him getting worked up and put a hand on his arm to stop him from exploding.  
"I'm sorry, Malfoy," Ryder said, his eyes pleading.  
Vincent Crabbe chuckled, "He must mean it. Kid never apologises."  
Natasha and Perseus narrowed their eyes. Draco attempted to laugh, but stopped as soon as he realised that no one else was laughing.  
"What do you want?" Lucius glared at his son's former best friend.  
Crabbe shuffled his feet before saying, "To join you. And the Order."  
"How do we know you're not lying?" Ron said fiercely. Tamsin glared at Ryder, who looked around sheepishly.  
"Believe me, there is only one thing I want, and that's vengeance," Crabbe said sincerely.  
Draco tilted his head to one side, considering Crabbe's position. Twelve years ago, Crabbe had tried to kill Potter and his friends, and tried to sell them all out to the Dark Lord...and now he wanted to join the Order, had he really changed his ways?  
"Why should we believe you?" Hermione said. She was a big believer of second-chances. Adler nodded a little to show his approval of her question.  
"Why do you want vengeance?" Beathen asked curiously. Ryder clenched his fists up, staring at Beathen angrily.  
Crabbe put a hand on his son's shoulder, "It's alright." He looked at Draco as he spoke, trying to gain acceptance. "You should believe me because my son and I are at your mercy, there are more of you than there are of us. I would never lie to put my son in danger," he shot Natasha an apologetic look, "...and," he choked a little bit, "Von Rubenstein murdered my wife."

* * *

**A/N: **_I thought about continuing, but thought that I should end it there. Why? Because it's a huge revelation and it might make people more interested to read what comes next. Hey, I'm a writer. We do that. _**Feel free to leave some love! In the form of a review :)**

_So in this chapter, we get to know the characters more and the storyline is becoming clearer, I hope.  
__What I hope you have gained from this chapter is:  
__- Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders, haha, I thought I'd incorporate it into the storyline as a joke. (I love AVPM/S).  
__- Natasha is a Snake, thereby making her house Slytherin. She and Draco Malfoy are cousins - (Lucius [Draco's father] and Perseus [Natasha's father] are brothers) - thereby making her last name Malfoy. She and Adler are also cousins - (Amelinda [Natasha's mother] and Regulus [Adler's father] are siblings) - therefore she is also half a Black.  
__- The Crabbes used the owl that Ryder sent to Natasha to figure out in which direction the Malfoys were heading. Technically, Natasha didn't really aid them - as they were already heading in that direction. But since she replied, she confirmed the direction. Ryder knew to write to Natasha to find out where the Malfoys were heading because he knew that they may visit their family - and Natasha was family.  
__- Lucius and Draco have joined the "good side" in this war, in case you got confused. Harry invited them to the castle.  
__- Ginevra and Ginny are NOT the same person. Ginevra (née Prewett) Black is Molly Weasley's cousin. She married Regulus Black. When they were younger, Ginevra rescued Molly's brother, Fabian, from a close encounter with a Death Eater, and Molly was forever grateful. She vowed that when she had a daughter, she'd name her after her heroic cousin, in the hopes that her daughter will possess the same bravery and loyalty that Ginevra did.  
__- Tamsin is rather sensitive, especially when it comes to hurting other people for your gain. I'm pretty sure she's going to restart SPEW again or something.  
__- Even though they are all related in some way (as ancient pure-bloods), they don't usually talk - not because they haven't got anything in common, but because they were all in different Houses.  
__- Beathen and Ryder Crabbe have some history, right now, we can assume that it's bad.  
__- Adler is rather perceptive.  
__- Crabbe's wife was (according to him) murdered. Question is: why was she murdered?  
__- The members of the Order are contemplating whether or not they trust Crabbe or not. Is he telling the truth about his wife? Is he being honest about his intentions for joining the Order? _**Would you trust Crabbe?**

* * *

_- What to expect next chapter:  
__* You'll see if the Order believes Crabbe or not.  
__* You'll find out who Crabbe's wife is/was and what happened to her.  
__* You'll find out more about Beathen's past – why his parents aren't there and why Uncle Severus is looking after him.  
__* You'll find out what the map is for.  
__* They'll take action, but will find themselves in a situation they'd rather not be in.  
__* There will be more revelations of what Von Rubenstein is up to._

* * *

**Disclaimer:** What you recognise belongs to JK Rowling. What you don't belongs to my friends and I.


	3. A Crabby Situation

**A/N:** _Re-uploaded because as I was reading through it_ again_, I noticed a gazillion mistakes. I am tired, so that's my excuse haha - I was up early to watch the Olympics Closing Ceremony (how awesome were Timothy Spall and Fawkes the Phoenix!? ;)) and to fangirl over One Direction, so...yeah. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and feel free to leave some love. :) x_

* * *

**Chapter Three: A Crabby Situation**

_Crabbe put a hand on his son's shoulder, "It's alright." He looked at Draco as he spoke, trying to gain acceptance. "You should believe me because my son and I are at your mercy, there are more of you than there are of us. I would never lie to put my son in danger," he shot Natasha an apologetic look, "...and," he choked a little bit, "Von Rubenstein murdered my wife."_

"Oh my god," Tamsin whispered. "I -"  
"I don't want to hear your sympathy, Peverell," Ryder snapped.  
"But -" Tamsin began, but Harry cut her off.  
"Why?" he asked Crabbe.  
"I don't expect you to understand, Potter," Crabbe said. "I don't expect any of you to understand. He threatened to hurt Ryder."  
Ryder scowled and muttered, "I can look after myself."  
Draco stepped forward and put a hand on Crabbe's shoulder. When he heard the words come out of Crabbe's mouth, he didn't want to believe it. He tried to block it out, but the pain on Crabbe's face told him that this was real, this was happening.  
"It's hard for you, isn't it?" Crabbe asked Draco softly. Draco nodded. "It's hard for me too." Draco nodded again.  
"I'm sorry, but what's going on here?" Ron interrupted rather insensitively.  
Lucius looked at him. He too sported a pained expression on his face. "Morag MacDougal was a friend of Draco's," he explained.  
"Morag?" Hermione asked shrilly. "No!" she said in a hushed tone. "Really?"  
"She was that girl who went to school with us, right?" Harry's brows furrowed together as he tried to remember.  
"Ravenclaw," Draco whispered.  
"She was your wife?" Ron asked Crabbe disbelievingly.  
"She...she saw the good in me when no one else did," Crabbe said sadly.  
Perseus was feeling a little overwhelmed by all this emotion. He put an arm around his daughter and invited everyone inside.

"What's going on?" Narcissa demanded when they all piled into the dining room. "What is _he_ doing here?" she pointed to Crabbe.  
"Narcissa, calm down," Lucius said as he sat next to her.  
"I will not!" Narcissa retorted. "I thought I came here for peace, quiet and safety...but obviously if the Crabbes can find it, this castle isn't as safe as you all think."  
Sirius looked at his cousin with great dislike, "Narcissa, calm down," he repeated in a cold voice.  
"Morag MacDougal is dead," Harry announced to the room.  
"Way to go Harry, just come out and say it, why don't you?" Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"Uh thanks..." Harry said uncertainly.  
"That was sarcastic," Adler told Harry.  
"What did you just say?" Narcissa's brisk voice cut across all the chit-chat. "Morag MacDougal?"  
"Yeah, she's uh.." Harry drifted off, not wanting to sound too insensitive.  
"She got murdered," Crabbe repeated. "By von Rubenstein."  
"No!" Narcissa inhaled sharply. "I don't believe it."  
"This is a great loss," Harry said sadly.  
"You didn't even remember her!" Ryder snapped and stood up, letting his chair fall down.  
"Crabbe!" Natasha pulled his arm in an attempt to get his attention and calm him down.  
"Natasha, it's okay," Amelinda said softly. "He's just lost his mother."  
"I'm still here, you know," Ryder grumbled. "I can still hear you."  
Natasha let go of Ryder's arm and looked at him, her face again emotionless. Inside though, she had mixed feelings - grief, for Ryder's mother, a woman she had met several times; annoyance, for the way Ryder was acting; excited, this was one of the first times her parents let her sit on an "adult meeting"; and disgust, for thinking about herself when her friend was hurting.  
Narcissa seemed to have calmed down from her outburst, because she folded her arms and said in her usual cold voice, "Why are you here, Crabbe?"  
"As I have said before, I would like to join the Order," Crabbe said. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I resisted the temptation to take on von Rubenstein single-handedly, for Ryder's sake, but as each day goes on, the temptation gets stronger. I can only hope that it will ground me."  
"Yeah, you're a bit unpredictable," Draco commented, making Crabbe smile a little.  
Harry cleared his throat. Everyone turned to look at him.  
"Well, let's call this a night," he said. "Tamsin, could you take the Crabbes to a room please?"  
Tamsin nodded, standing up. Crabbe stood also, but Ryder remained seated until he saw the pleading look on his father's face. He then followed Tamsin reluctantly.

As soon as the Crabbes, and Tamsin, had left the room, conversations erupted left, right and centre.  
"Do you think he's lying?"  
"He's a Crabbe -"  
"Duh, he's lying."  
"I don't believe it -"  
"I really dislike Ryder -"  
"Did you see the look on his face!?"  
"Morag cannot be dead. "  
"I'll look into it!"  
"Everybody, CALM DOWN!"  
"Still don't believe it, you know."

"Okay, enough!" Harry said loudly.  
"Do you believe them, Harry?" Beathen asked. Sirius looked at Beathen warily, and caught his brother's eye. Regulus was on the verge of telling the teens to leave the room, but Sirius shook his head at him.  
Harry paused for a bit before replying, "Yes, I think I do believe him."  
"Harry, think about it, it's Crabbe," Ron said, trying to reason with his best friend.  
"Weasley is right," Lucius said. "Potter, how do you know that Crabbe isn't lying?"  
"Because the man looked so broken! Do you think he'd look broken if his wife was still alive?"  
"He could be acting," Ron said, crossing his arms.  
"I've never seen Ryder like this before," Natasha contributed, "I agree with Harry. I think Ryder's mother is dead."  
"Like I said, I'll look into it when I go into the Ministry tomorrow," Percy Weasley said. "And I'll let you all know straightaway."  
"Perce, it's alright. You can just come back and tell us. It doesn't need to be immediately," Bill told his younger brother.  
"I'm sorry, this is all new for me," Percy said. "I wasn't in the Order last time…"  
Arthur cleared his throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence that followed Percy's words.  
"Let us assume that Crabbe is telling the truth," he said. "We're already having a hard time with von Rubenstein around. We don't need to fight amongst ourselves too. And to be frank, we could do with the extra help around here."  
A few people nodded in agreement. Beathen remained silent. Adler yawned. Ginevra caught him and shooed him off to bed.

They said goodnight to each other in the hallway and each entered their own rooms. Tamsin, Beathen and Adler assumed, had already gone to bed, for she did not return to the dining room after taking the Crabbes to their room. Natasha made it her job to check that Tamsin was safe in her room, which she was. Though she believed Vincent Crabbe, she didn't think she trusted him. Adler decided to do some night time reading before going to bed, so sat up with one of the many books he had borrowed from the library. Beathen was ready to collapse into his armchair, but there was already something, or someone, occupying it. They sat in the darkness, not saying a word.  
"I'm armed," Beathen raised his wand. "Lumos."  
His wand tip lightened and he shone it towards the armchair.  
"Oh, it's you," he gave a sigh of relief and sat down on the bed. "How are you doing?"  
"What do you think?" the other person sneered. "My mother is dead, my father ran to his old friends for help, Malfoy doesn't trust me –"  
"How do you know that?" Beathen interrupted.  
"I can tell," the other person replied coldly.  
"Look, Ryder, I know you're upset," Beathen began.  
"Oh yeah, upset, that's a good word for how I'm feeling right now," Ryder spat angrily. "I just want to hex someone or punch something, you know!?"  
Beathen's face fell. Ryder saw the change in Beathen's demeanour and immediately said quietly, "Of course you know." Ryder mentally hit himself in the head for being so stupid.  
Beathen stayed quiet.  
"I'm sorry," Ryder said. "I didn't mean to. It just slipped out."  
Beathen took a few moments to compose himself before replying, "It's fine."  
"No, it's not. I'm a terrible friend," Ryder hung his head.  
"You're such a girl," Beathen teased half-heartedly. Ryder gave a small chuckle.  
There was a little pause.  
"How did you deal with it?" Ryder finally asked.  
"What? The murder of my mother? Or my father going crazy?" Beathen asked rather hollowly. In the brief silence that they had shared, Beathen had reflected on the year that turned his whole life upside down.  
"Um…both," Ryder said, treading carefully. He knew Beathen was like a Wildfire Whiz Bang that could go off at any moment, especially when it came to this subject.  
"Well, what can I say?" Beathen stared at the wall opposite him. "I really wanted to go after her. I wanted revenge."  
"On Lestrange?" Ryder clarified.  
"Right, on Lestrange," Beathen's eyes narrowed and his face darkened at the name.  
"What stopped you?" Ryder continued to press on.  
"My father," Beathen replied. "He told me that what goes around comes around. He told me that she'd pay, one day."  
Ryder nodded sadly, knowing what was going to come next.  
"She's still out there. And Dad's locked up in a cell at a Muggle mental institution," Beathen ended sourly. "St. Mungo's wouldn't even take him. Uncle Sev did his best, but they wouldn't even listen to him."  
Ryder stayed quiet, letting Beathen take some time to cool down. However, not even a minute had passed when Beathen proclaimed, "I don't care what it takes. I will help you take down von Rubenstein for what he did to your mother. And if I meet Bellatrix Lestrange on the way, well, it'll be my lucky day."  
"Beathen," Ryder began. However, Beathen cut across him.  
"You're so lucky that your father is here for you. You need to cut him some slack, he's holding up real well for a guy whose wife just got murdered."  
"Beathen," Ryder repeated.  
"What?" Beathen snapped out of his sudden outburst.  
"Thank you," Ryder said sincerely. Beathen nodded at him.  
"I think I'm going to sleep now," Beathen said. Ryder stood up.  
"That's my cue to leave," Ryder said, his tone light now. "Don't expect me to be nice to you tomorrow because of this conversation."  
"I expect nothing less of how I was treated today," Beathen said, smiling weakly.  
"Me too," Ryder said. "Good night Beathen."  
"Good night, Ryder."

* * *

Adler banged on the door. "OPEN UP!" he shouted.  
Beathen opened the door, running a hand through his short, black hair sleepily. "What's up, Black?"  
"I think I figured out what that map was for!" Adler said excitedly.  
"Sshhh!" Beathen raised a finger to his lips. "It's a secret. Now go away. I want to sleep."  
He shut the door in Adler's face and shuffled back to his bed. Adler stood startled for a moment, but he was not the least disheartened. He just walked over to Natasha's door and knocked loudly.  
She opened the door, looking rather dishevelled, "What are you doing, Black? It's half past seven! It's too early to be up."  
"Don't you want to know what the map is for?" Adler asked, ignoring Natasha's complaints that it was too early.  
"Yeah," Natasha sighed. "But later, when I'm awake."  
She too closed the door and collapsed on her bed.  
Adler blinked, and said to himself, "Third time's a charm."  
He knocked on Tamsin's door.  
"Morning Adler!" she opened the door and said brightly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"  
"Do you have the map? he asked.  
"Yeah," she nodded. "Come on in." She pushed the door open, and walked inside.  
"I think I know what it means," Adler told her.  
"Oh really? That's awesome, I was just looking at it before you came in," Tamsin told him.  
"You were awake!?" Adler asked in a hushed, sarcastic tone.  
"Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" Tamsin laughed airily.  
Adler shrugged, "Beathen and Natasha are still asleep."  
"Typical," Tamsin commented. "It's all yours."  
She pointed to the map. Adler sat down at her desk and looked at it in detail.  
"It's the town of Upper Flagley," Adler said.  
"A wizarding village?" Tamsin asked, looking at the map over Adler's shoulder. "You don't think the Order are planning to relocate there, do you?  
"No," Adler shook his head. "It's too open."  
"Then…" Tamsin scratched her head, trying to think of another prediction. "The town needs to be evacuated because of some terrible disease."  
"The Healers would have been sent out," Adler said.  
"I don't know," Tamsin said. "Are they in trouble? Do they need the Order's help?"  
"That could be it…" Adler drifted off.  
"But why? They're a wizarding community…can they not fend for themselves?" Tamsin scrunched up her face, trying to think of an explanation.  
"Not if von Rubenstein's behind it," Adler's eyes twinkled as he finally made the connection.  
"I don't know, Adler," Tamsin said uncertainly. "Does everything have to link back to him?" she asked weakly.  
"He's the reason we're in this mess," Adler said.  
Tamsin sighed, "We should let the other two know."  
Adler nodded and folded up the map.

* * *

"What are you guys doing?" Bridget Peverell entered the room that they were sitting in.  
"Nothing," Adler said quickly, hiding the map behind his back.  
"What is that?" Bridget walked towards them.  
"Nothing," Tamsin said shrilly. She pointed her wand at the map, and thought really hard, 'Evanesco.'  
She had just learnt wordless magic the year before at school, and still had a little difficulty performing spells without directly saying the incantation. Thankfully, it worked. "It's nothing," she repeated more calmly.  
Bridget walked around her sister, "I know you're up to something, Tamsin."  
"Bye Bridget," Beathen opened the door for her. Bridget sighed, and walked towards him.  
"Just so you know, I'll be keeping an eye on you four," Bridget said.  
"Whatever," Natasha waved her hand in the direction of the doorway.  
Beathen locked the door and whispered, "Muffliato."  
"Where did you learn that spell?" Adler asked him.  
"Uncle Sev," Beathen replied shortly. "Why? Do you know it too?"  
"Yeah, I read it in a potions book, out of all things," Adler said.  
"That was Uncle Sev's book!" Beathen said. "He's the –"  
Tamsin and Natasha coughed loudly to get the boys' attention.

"Sorry," Adler turned to them. "You now have my undivided attention."  
"Where's the map?" Natasha turned to Adler, who she saw had it last.  
"I don't have it," Adler said, holding up his hands to show that they were empty.  
"But weren't you holding it when Bridget came in?" Natasha questioned.  
"I was," Adler nodded.  
Beathen stood up and looked around where he and Tamsin were sitting. He shrugged at Natasha.  
"How could a map just disappear into non-being?" Natasha asked. She looked at Tamsin.  
"Shit," Tamsin swore as she realised what had happened.  
The other three looked at her.  
"It's gone isn't it?" Beathen asked. Tamsin nodded.  
"Into nothingness," Adler added.  
"It was an accident!" she defended herself. "Oh my god, I am so sorry!"  
"Evanesco?" Natasha whispered. Tamsin nodded.  
"Well, what can we do now?" Beathen sighed. To him, the map held the key to everything.  
"HAH!" Bridget burst into the room. The door swung on its hinges and hit the wall. "Alohomora works!"  
"What do you want?" Tamsin groaned.  
"Nothing," Bridget walked out after scanning the room.  
"We've got to do something about that," Adler said, his annoyance evident.  
"I am so sorry," Tamsin apologised again.  
"It's alright, it could have happened to anyone," Adler said kindly. Tamsin gave him a small smile.  
"What do we do now?" Beathen repeated. He was met with silence. Natasha was purposefully avoiding his eye, Adler absent-mindedly tapped on the arm of his chair and Tamsin stared out of the window miserably. Beathen then realised that he was meant to take initiative.  
"Okay, here's what we're going to do," he said clearly. The others were pulled out of their stupors and turned to him attentively. "Black," Beathen looked to the Ravenclaw. "We need all the information we can get on Upper Flagley."  
Adler nodded to show that he understood.  
"Malfoy," Beathen continued on, turning to Natasha. "Find out what the Order is going to do in Upper Flagley."  
"Oh come on, Prince, easy peasy," Natasha smirked audaciously.  
Beathen ignored her. He turned to Tamsin, "Peverell, um, Tamsin…do you think you could gather supplies and whatnot? Just in case we need to leave at any moment?"  
Tamsin nodded, "I can do that."  
"What are you going to do, Beathen?" Adler asked.  
"I'm going to visit Upper Flagley," Beathen said, a determined look on his face.  
"Beathen, no!" Tamsin cried. "It's too dangerous!"  
"Someone needs to have a look around," Beathen shrugged nonchalantly.  
"Prince, if this is some stupid Gryffindor belief that you need to live up to expectations and be the hero or something, please, don't do it!" Natasha pleaded.  
"How are you going to get there?" Adler asked quietly. "We've lost the map."  
"I'll work it out," Beathen said.  
Adler nodded. Tamsin groaned. Beathen's face softened.  
"Look, if you guys are so worried, I won't go into the actual village," Beathen said. "I'll just scope the surroundings."  
Natasha put up her hands in defeat, "Fine."  
Tamsin hesitated before also giving her word of approval.  
"Let's go," Adler stood up and led the way to the door.

"What are you still doing out here?" Tamsin turned to her sister, who was sitting against the wall facing the room that they had just come out of.  
"Spying on you," Bridget replied.  
"Did you find anything interesting?" Tamsin rolled her eyes and asked monotonously.  
"Oh sure," Bridget said, with fake-enthusiasm. "You're boring."  
"Thanks," Tamsin said. She began walking towards the staircase when she felt a tug on her arm. "What?" she asked, feeling irritated.  
"Where're you going, sis?" Bridget linked arms with Tamsin and walked alongside her.  
Tamsin sighed, frustrated that her sister wouldn't leave her alone, "I'm going to my room, for some _peace and quiet_," she emphasised the last part. Bridget didn't get the hint.  
"Oh cool, can I join you?" Bridget continued to pest her little sister.  
"No," Tamsin said.  
"Oh come on sis, let's have some 'us' time. We never have 'us' time," Bridget pouted. "Don't you want to hang with your big sis?"  
'No', Tamsin thought. However, she mustered all her efforts and gave her sister a fake-smile, "Okay, let's have 'us' time."

Adler pulled all the books he could find on Upper Flagley. He scanned through them quickly, but could not find any useful information. He then decided to rifle through the old Daily Prophets to see if he could find anything. He hadn't been reading the newspaper lately – he had been told to cancel his subscription because it may draw attention to the safe house. Upon asking, he was told that the Underground version of the Daily Prophet hadn't been publishing many issues lately due to many of the journalists being captured by von Rubenstein for 'spreading lies'. He looked at the wooden box that housed the old newspapers, and saw it filled to bursting. He picked up the top newspaper and scanned the page. It was an article about Hogwarts. Adler looked at the photograph of his home away from home sadly, and had just settled into an armchair to read the article when something caught his eye. The date of the article showed that it was published yesterday – Adler frowned and realised that the adults had lied to him. He put down the newspaper and picked up the next one in the pile. The date showed that it was published a week ago. He flicked through it, and was about to put it down when he looked carefully at the front page. He gasped – how could he have missed it? _'Upper Flagley captured by von Rubenstein,_' the feature article was headlined. Adler dove into the article and read it intensively, absorbing all the information he could get from it.

Natasha made her way to the kitchens, where she knew Harry and Ron were. However, she bumped into Ryder on the way there.  
"Crabbe." she nodded at him civilly.  
"Malfoy, wait," Ryder caught up to her. "I'm sorry."  
She turned to look at him, "I know. I'm sorry too."  
Ryder punched her lightly in the arm, "We Slytherins have got to stick together, eh?"  
She nodded and gave him a small smile. "Are you alright, Crabbe?" she asked him worriedly.  
Ryder paused before answering, "I…yeah, I am. Where are you off to?"  
"The kitchens," Natasha replied. "How about you?"  
"I'm just wandering and exploring," Ryder lied. Natasha gave him a funny look, but didn't say anything. Ryder was in fact looking for Beathen, but he couldn't tell Natasha that. He couldn't even ask Natasha where Beathen was. She wouldn't understand.  
"Okay, well, have fun," Natasha turned left and put her hand on the doorknob. Ryder nodded at her and continued to walk straight. Natasha opened the door and walked into the room.

"Oh hey," she said in surprise, stopping when she saw who was sat at the table. Harry and Ron were there, but so were Draco and Vincent Crabbe.  
"Hello Natasha," Draco said. Ron grimaced at her.  
"I hope this is a friendly reunion," she grinned cheekily. Draco ruffled her hair and pulled out a chair for her to sit on.  
"Actually, we were discussing –" Vincent began, before Harry cleared his throat loudly. Natasha looked at Harry.  
"Let me guess," Natasha smirked. "Hector von Rubenstein."  
"How did you know?" Ron rolled his eyes.  
Natasha laughed, "You can tell me, you know. I won't tell anyone."  
The four men looked at each other warily.  
"Pretty please with sugar on top," Natasha said in a sweet voice.  
Vincent was the first one to succumb, "We were talking about why von Rubenstein killed Morag."  
Harry grumbled inaudibly. Ron put his heads on his arms. Draco stood up and paced the room. Natasha sat up straighter.  
"Why did he, Mr Crabbe?" Natasha asked.  
"He was looking for Ryder," Vincent said, his voice barely a whisper.  
"Von Rubenstein was looking for Ryder!?" Natasha repeated loudly. She lowered her voice, "Sorry. Please continue."  
Vincent nodded at her, "It was a few weeks before you kids were due back at Hogwarts…"

_*FLASHBACK*  
_"_Ryder? Where are you?" Morag MacDougal-Crabbe's voice echoed through the house. "I need some help here."  
__Ryder hurried down the stairs and made his way to the drawing room where his mother was redecorating.  
_"_What is it, mother?" he asked.  
_"_Open this for me, darling," she pointed to a paint can.  
_"_Mum, where's your wand?" Ryder chuckled but opened it for her nevertheless.  
__Morag looked around the room, but she couldn't find it. "I must have left it on the mantelpiece. I'll go get it," she told Ryder.  
__However, when she reached the living room, there was a knock at the door. Forgetting that she was meant to be getting her wand, she walked to the front door.  
_"_Let me in," a gruff voice said.  
_"_No, get out!" Morag screamed, but the stranger pushed her down and made his way into the room. "I know who you are!"  
_"_And I know who you are, Mrs Crabbe," the stranger said, smiling evilly down at her.  
_"_Please, don't hurt me," Morag implored.  
_"_I don't intend to," the stranger said, still smiling down at her. "If you call your son to me."  
_"_Mum?" Ryder's voice floated from the drawing room upstairs.  
_"_Ryder! Run! Get out of here!" Morag cried out loudly.  
_"_Wrong move!" the stranger flicked his wand and Morag wrapped her hands around her throat as a searing pain shot through it.  
_"_What's going on?" Vincent emerged from his study as he heard loud voices. He stood across from Ryder, who had also come out of the drawing room.  
_"_I don't know," Ryder said. "She told me to run."  
_"_Stay here," Vincent pulled out his wand and cautiously made his way downstairs.  
_"_Crabbe," the stranger turned to look at him when he saw Vincent standing in shock on the staircase.  
_"_Von Rubenstein," Crabbe said. "Let her go."  
_"_I will, as soon as you get me your son," von Rubenstein's eyes glinted maliciously.  
__Vincent stood still and looked to his wife, who was still on the ground, holding her throat. Her eyes pleaded with him to leave, to take Ryder to safety. He shook his head at her. A tear rolled down her cheek.  
_"_Please," she mouthed to him.  
__Von Rubenstein was now pacing the living room looking at the family portraits, "I've got all the time in the world," he taunted. "Bring him down to me, and she can live."  
_"_Go," Morag mouthed to her husband. Vincent looked at his wife one last time and tried to race upstairs.  
_"_Dad, what's going on?" Ryder had made his way to the top of the staircase.  
_"_Not so fast, Crabbe," Von Rubenstein cast the Impediment Jinx on him to slow him down. "And where do you think you're going?" he laughed maniacally.  
__Vincent tried to scramble up the stairs, but slipped.  
_"_You don't think you're going to get away from me, do you?" Von Rubenstein taunted.  
__The effects of the Impediment Jinx were wearing off, but von Rubenstein was too busy goading the Crabbes to notice. Vincent slowly turned around.  
_"_CRUCIO!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Morag's eyes widened. Von Rubenstein withered on the floor, feeling the wrath of Vincent Crabbe.  
_"_Vincent, go!" Morag said, her voice raspy and weak. Vincent continued to cast the Cruciatus Curse on von Rubenstein as he made his way to the mantelpiece and threw Morag her wand.  
_"_I love you," she whispered to him. Vincent's wand arm fell as he looked into his wife's eyes.  
__Von Rubenstein, who was on the ground shaking slightly, used the coffee table to help himself up.  
_"_Go," Morag whispered. She turned around and pointed her wand at von Rubenstein. Vincent ran upstairs.  
_"_Ryder!" Vincent bellowed.  
_"_I'm here," Ryder said. "What's wrong?"  
__They heard a scream from the living room downstairs.  
_"_Let's go," Vincent said in a panicked voice. He grabbed a hold of his son's arm and Disapparated.  
__*END FLASHBACK*_

Harry looked disturbed as he heard Vincent's recount of the story. This sounded all too familiar.  
"Why did he want Ryder?" Natasha broke the silence. "If he wanted to recruit him, why didn't he just approach him by himself?""I don't know," Vincent said.  
"Von Rubenstein is sadistic," Draco said, his face expressionless. "If he gets the chance to hurt someone, he'll take it."  
"There's something I don't understand," Ron spoke up. "How did you know your wife was dead?"  
"Ron!" Natasha exclaimed. "You can't just ask –"  
"I went back to the house," Vincent cut across Natasha. "When Ryder was asleep. I…I," he choked. "I saw her body. And a note. From _him_."  
"What did the note say?" Harry asked.  
Vincent sniffed and pulled out a scrunched up piece of paper. He gave it to Harry.  
'_She needed to die.'  
_"That's horrible," Harry whispered.  
"We had a funeral for her, Ryder and I," Vincent continued. "Some of the neighbours heard what happened and wanted to come too, but it's a rather large town and word spreads quickly, and we couldn't risk it. Von Rubenstein could be back at any moment."  
Natasha racked her brain trying to make sense of it all.  
"When we left, we must have passed at least half a dozen funerals," Vincent informed them. "And we left just in time too. From what we know, he did come back."  
Harry, Ron and Draco exchanged a knowing look.  
"Where did you live, Mr Crabbe?" Natasha asked.  
"Upper Flagley," he replied.  
Natasha gulped and slumped back in her chair.  
"Are you alright?" Draco asked her concernedly. She managed a nod, but stayed quiet.

"Going somewhere?" Ryder found Beathen in a chamber off the Entrance Hall, a bag on his back and his travelling cloak on.  
"For a walk," Beathen replied.  
"Oh, I was going to ask if you fancied a game of wizard's chess, but I suppose that can wait," Ryder shrugged.  
"Sorry," Beathen said hurriedly. "I've been planning this walk for a while."  
Ryder raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything.  
"We can play afterwards?" Beathen offered.  
"Sure," Ryder nodded.  
They walked out of the chamber together and bumped into Tamsin, who was sister free.  
She looked at them quizzically, "Beathen and Crabbe coming out of the same room…and you're both alive! Interesting…."  
Ryder scowled as Beathen snickered.  
"What do you want, Peverell?" Ryder asked.  
"Nothing that concerns you, Crabbe," Tamsin answered. "Beathen, a moment?"  
"Not now, Tamsin," Beathen said. "Going for a walk."  
"I'm coming with," Tamsin said quickly. "I cannot stay in the castle anymore. Bridget is annoying me."  
"Fine, hurry," Beathen said. "Move, Crabbe."  
Ryder smirked and bowed them out. Tamsin rolled her eyes at him and muttered, "Immature."

"You should cut him some slack, you know," Beathen said as they began walking across the vast lawns towards a group of trees in the distance. "He's just lost his mother."  
"I know," Tamsin sighed. "It's hard when he makes it so easy to mean to him. And it doesn't help that he's been so immature and mean to me since second year. What were you doing with him anyway? I thought you hated him?"  
"Well, hate is a strong word," Beathen said. "He and I have unresolved business."  
"Okay," Tamsin said submissively. "Just be careful, Beathen."  
"I will," he said. He stopped when they reached the trees. "The clearing marks the boundary of the wards."  
Tamsin nodded silently.  
"I'll be back," Beathen said. He stepped through the trees and stood in the middle of the clearing.  
'Beathen wait!" Tamsin called out. However, Beathen had already swivelled on the spot and Disapparated. "How do you know how to Disapparate?" Tamsin drifted off. She sank to the ground and leant against a tree, waiting for Beathen's return.

"Been ditched?"  
Tamsin jumped as she heard someone sitting on the other side of her tree. She stood up, dusted herself and looked around the tree.  
"What are you doing here, Crabbe?" she said. Beathen hadn't returned yet.  
"I followed you," Ryder shrugged.  
"Why?" Tamsin asked. Ryder shrugged again.  
"Where's Prince?" Ryder asked.  
"That's none of your business, Crabbe," Tamsin said. "Why do you want him anyway?"  
"Unresolved business," Ryder replied quickly.  
"Oh, of course," Tamsin muttered. "I forgot."  
"I gather Prince told you?" Ryder asked, keeping the conversation steady.  
"He just told me what you told me, which isn't much. And for the record, I am sorry that your mother died."  
Ryder scowled as she brought up the subject, but didn't say anything – which Tamsin thought was very strange.  
"Were you close to her?" Tamsin asked after a brief period of silence. Ryder looked at Tamsin.  
"Yeah, I was," he answered softly. "Dad was always working, so it was just Mum and I."  
"My mother and I aren't that close," Tamsin confided with Ryder.  
"Why?"  
"She loves Bridget more than she loves me," Tamsin complained, not realising that the conversation had turned to her. Ryder noticed though, but he didn't mind – he didn't feel like talking about himself and his _feelings_ to a _girl_ he enjoyed making fun of.  
"I'm sure that's not true," Ryder said smoothly, his Snake-like qualities shining through. He smirked, but she didn't notice.  
"It is," Tamsin said seriously. "It has always been like that." She sighed.  
"You've still got your father though?" Ryder asked.  
"Oh yes, my father and I are very close," Tamsin nodded. She paused, "Hey! How long were you here before I noticed you?"  
"Uh, two or three minutes?" Ryder shrugged. "I can't be sure."  
Tamsin looked towards the clearing worriedly.  
"Do you remember that time when you tripped _upstairs_?" Ryder laughed.  
"Shut up!" Tamsin took her gaze away from the clearing and looked at Ryder.  
"That was really funny," Ryder's eyes twinkled mischievously.  
"You tripped me," Tamsin pouted. Ryder laughed. "You don't like me much, do you?"  
Ryder shrugged, neither confirming nor denying her accusation.  
"Well, so we're clear, I don't like you," Tamsin said.  
A crack-like sound interrupted their conversation.  
"Beathen!" Tamsin stood up quickly and pulled Beathen away from the clearing. He looked shaken. "What's wrong?"  
"Dementors," he whispered. "In all the surrounding towns."  
"Come on," Tamsin said. "Let's get you back to the castle." She looked at Ryder. "Are you going to help me or not?"  
Ryder hesitated before seeing the pleading look on Tamsin's face. He could make fun of her later, right now, his friend needed him.  
"Yeah, come on," he grabbed a hold of Beathen and together the three of them set off back the way they had come not twenty minutes ago.

* * *

Adler closed the door behind him quietly.  
"Here, take this," he gave Beathen a package. "It's chocolate. I snuck it out of the kitchens."  
"That's awfully daring of you," Tamsin laughed.  
"Thank you," Adler smiled at her. "I felt very much like a Gryffindor."  
Natasha sat across from them, her arms folded, just watching them. Beathen took a bite of chocolate.  
"This is good. Thanks!" he said with his mouth full. Tamsin giggled and passed him a tissue.  
"Did you know the Crabbes lived in Upper Flagley?" Natasha blurted out. She couldn't help herself, she couldn't contain the information any longer.  
"What?" Adler turned around to look at his cousin. "The Crabbes lived in Upper Flagley?"  
"That's what I said, Black," Natasha rolled her eyes at him. However, she was smiling, so he knew not to take her too seriously. "Please listen next time."  
"Sorry!" he shot back at her.  
"You also need to stop saying sorry," she said pointedly.  
Tamsin cleared her throat. "I assume they left after Morag died?"  
"She was murdered," Beathen said, scrunching up a piece of paper and throwing it into the waste-paper bin.  
"Yes," Natasha said. "Mr Crabbe said that it was a few weeks ago. Von Rubenstein wanted to recruit Ryder or something."  
The other three stopped what they were doing and looked at her assiduously, encouraging her to go on, but she didn't.  
"Why?" Tamsin finally asked.  
"Beats me," Natasha shrugged.  
"That explains why he captured the town," Adler brought up. Natasha and Tamsin looked at him questioningly. He walked over to the papers he had brought into the room with him, and came back with the newspaper he had been reading earlier. "_'Upper Flagley Captured by von Rubenstein'_," he read.  
"That doesn't explain anything," Beathen said.  
"There were heaps of funerals after Mrs Crabbe's one," Natasha told them. "According to Mr Crabbe anyway…"  
"Let's assume that von Rubenstein went on a killing spree after he got to Morag," Beathen said. He took out a pen – for they had now 'upgraded' to Muggle stationery because it was much cheaper (and not to mention, more modern) – and wrote what he had said down.  
"The question is why," Adler said. "We know he's sadistic and whatnot, but why not let the Dementors take care of it?"  
Beathen shuddered. Tamsin patted his arm comfortingly.  
"He wants to show people who's boss," Tamsin said.  
"Hasn't he already done that with the Dementors?" Adler argued. "He's unleashed them, hasn't he? He brought them back and started breeding them again."  
"Can we please move away from the subject of Dementors?" Beathen asked, his hand shaking.  
"No, Prince, we need to talk about it," Natasha shouted, though she hadn't meant to raise her voice.  
"Natasha," Tamsin said assertively, warning her to calm down.  
A few minutes passed.  
"You shouldn't have gone," Natasha told Beathen quietly. "We weren't prepared."  
"I was prepared to risk it," Beathen said. Natasha glared at him. He sighed. "There were so many Dementors. And I tried, I really did. I tried, but my Patronus wouldn't come. I just got wisps of smoke."  
"We need to practice some more," Adler said. "I can't believe they didn't teach us this before seventh-year!"  
Tamsin nodded in agreement. Natasha folded her arms again and stared out the window. Adler aimlessly picked at the hole in the arm of his chair.  
"I thought we could do it," Beathen said, crestfallen. "I thought we were ready."  
"We will be," Tamsin said. "I'm sure of it."  
"The question is when," Adler said.  
"When indeed," Natasha repeated in an almost sarcastic tone.  
They sighed collectively.

* * *

**A/N:**_ What I hope you have gained from this chapter:  
__- Morag MacDougal was Crabbe's wife. Yes, she is dead, as the writer, I can confirm that. She was a good person :). She and Draco were childhood friends – yes, she was a pure-blood too.  
__- Morag basically sacrificed herself for her son – just like Lily did for Harry.  
__- Von Rubenstein wanted to recruit Ryder. Why?  
__- Beathen and Ryder are actually friends – surprise! But they are keeping their friendship a secret…why do they pretend to hate each other?  
__- Beathen's history: Bellatrix Lestrange murdered his mother and his father is now locked in a cell at a Muggle mental institution. Severus now looks after him – we know that Beathen calls him his 'uncle' and we'll find out how they're related (assuming that they are) in a later chapter.  
__- Beathen is obviously the leader and the typical Gryffindor hero – though, I hope you can see that he has reason to go after von Rubenstein. _**Is Bellatrix a part of von Rubenstein's Army?  
**_- Beathen knows how to Apparate because his Uncle Sev taught him. Obviously, Snape is looking out for Beathen...and now we kind of know why!  
__- The map is of the town: _Upper Flagley. _The town has been taken over by von Rubenstein and it can be assumed that the Order plan to free the residents from him. The Crabbes used to live in Upper Flagley and we find out from Beathen that the surrounding towns are now filled with Dementors.  
__- Bridget is the annoying sister. She knows that they're up to something, but she doesn't know what. She's hoping that she can annoy her sister to get it out of her, but Tamsin is very good at being stubborn :)  
__- Ryder is obviously distraught, but I think the only person he can talk to is Beathen. He says Natasha won't understand his friendship with Beathen – why? He also enjoys making fun of Tamsin – poor girl.  
__- Adler, I think, enjoys being the brains behind everything. And I think he secretly likes being the hero and being the one who gets all the thanks for something, but he isn't forward with it – it just isn't "him".  
__- There is a major setback, and they will need to prepare themselves before continuing on.  
_

* * *

**What to expect next chapter:  
**_- A new side to Adler  
__- Everyone's relationships with the mysterious Ryder  
__- Tamsin loses her cool  
__- They discover something new which is linked to Beathen's past  
_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** What you recognise belongs to Queen Rowling, what you don't belongs to moi et mes copains.


	4. The H20 Escapade

**Chapter Four: The H20 Escapade **

Adler sat bolt upright. He had had a bad dream, well, no, as much as he hated to admit it, it was a nightmare. He shook his head and took a sip of water from the glass that he had left on his bedside table earlier that night. He was being silly, he told himself. Sixteen year old boys did not have nightmares. And yet, he couldn't shake the image of the Dementors sucking out his soul because he could not produce a Patronus. He sighed and got out of bed. Checking the time, he groaned as he realised he had only slept for two hours and that the night was still young. He knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep until he had mastered the Patronus Charm, so he set to work.  
"Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum," he chanted. At first, Adler had trouble thinking of a happy memory, and then he had trouble remembering to keep that memory in place as he said the incantation. After a few hours' practice, Adler was so exhausted that he collapsed on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Adler awoke to the sound of raised voices. It sounded like some people were having an argument. Rubbing his eyes, he made his way into the corridor, where he found himself standing in the middle of two people he didn't expect to see.  
"- THAT WAS TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR!"  
"DON'T GET YOUR KNICKERS IN A KNOT."  
"I REALLY DON'T GET IT!"  
"WHAT'S NOT TO GET?"  
"HOW COULD SOMETHING SO STUPID GO THROUGH YOUR STUPID HEAD?"  
Silence. Adler sighed.  
"I'LL TELL YOU WHY. BECAUSE IT'S STUPID."  
"Come on Peverell, it's only a bit of water."  
"ONLY A BIT OF WATER? SCREW YOU CRABBE." She stormed off.  
"Peverell!" Ryder called after her. "Oh my god, come on, Tamsin, freaking hell. WAIT!"  
"Let her cool down," Adler advised. Ryder turned to him. Adler thought that Ryder Crabbe was going to hex him, but instead he got a thank you, which he did not expect at all. From what Adler knew, Ryder had a terrible reputation when it came to his anger.  
"You're welcome, I guess," Adler said. Ryder nodded at him.  
"You're not so bad, Black," Ryder surprised Adler further.  
"Thanks," Adler said, trying to act as if Ryder's words did not faze him. Ryder turned on his heel and walked down the stairs.

"Did I hear yelling?" Beathen emerged from his room, yawning.  
"Yeah, Tamsin and Ryder had a fight," Adler told him. He put a hand on the doorknob that led back to his room.  
"Really? What happened?" Beathen asked cautiously. He and Ryder had agreed that no one should know about their friendship, so Beathen asked Adler how Tamsin was, in the hopes of finding out how his other friend was feeling as well. Adler was completely oblivious to Beathen's intentions.  
"She was angry, and in the end, I think he was going to say sorry," Adler shrugged. He pushed his door opened, but held onto the doorknob as Beathen's curiosity got the better of him.  
"What were they fighting about?"  
"Water," Adler replied shortly. He noticed that Beathen was going to ask more questions, so he quickly backed into his room and shut the door behind him. Beathen blinked, but shrugged and made his way downstairs.

* * *

"Ellen, move," Natasha pushed her sister out of the way.  
"Why?" Ellen asked, stumbling. She grabbed a hold of Natasha's arm to stable herself.  
"Because I told you to," Natasha rolled her eyes. She raised her wand.  
"You're not the boss of me!" Ellen stuck out her tongue. "I'll…I'll…I'll tell on you!"  
"Be my guest," Natasha said through gritted teeth. She closed her eyes and tried to block out her sister while trying to retain a happy memory in her mind.  
"Um, Tash, what are you doing?" Ellen sat in front of her sister and looked at her concernedly.  
"None of your business," Natasha said, her eyes still closed. She raised her wand in front of her.  
"Don't point your wand at me!" Ellen screamed.  
"Then get out of my way!" Natasha said. "Expecto Patronum!"  
Natasha opened her eyes and looked around the room.  
"Ellen?" she called.  
Ellen slowly rose from behind the couch. She dusted herself.  
"Did anything happen?" Natasha asked hurriedly.  
"Oh no," Ellen replied, sarcasm evident in her tone. "Nothing happened at all. You know, besides the fact that you were about to jinx me!"  
"I wasn't," Natasha said.  
"Yes, you were," Ellen argued. "Why were you pointing your wand at me, then?"  
"I wasn't pointing it at you," Natasha said, suddenly feeling tired. She sat down on the couch.  
"Then what exactly were you doing?" Ellen asked, sitting next to her sister.  
Natasha sighed, "I was trying to produce a Patronus."  
"Oh," Ellen paused, then added excitedly, "Did it work?"  
"Well, I don't know, Ellen," Natasha said. "I had my eyes closed."  
"Why on earth would you do that?"  
"Oh wizard God, Ellen," Natasha muttered. She took a minute to get her patience back before replying, "When you cast the Patronus Charm, you need to think of a happy memory in order for your Patronus to…come out. Didn't they teach you this at school?"  
"I think we were meant to learn it this year…"  
"Oh."  
"Why were you trying to produce a Patronus anyway? Aren't they only effective against Dementors?" Ellen was confused.  
Natasha avoided her sister's eye. "Why don't you go pull pranks on someone or something?"  
Ellen bowed her head, "I'm not allowed to pull pranks anymore."  
"Why not?" Natasha was surprised.  
"Well, after this morning…" Ellen drifted off. She shifted in her seat somewhat guiltily.  
"Wait, what happened this morning!?" Natasha asked, turning to Ellen.  
"Um…well…this morning…um…" Ellen tried to avoid the subject, but Natasha was being too persistent. Ellen finally spat out the truth after mumbling for some time. "Fred and I kind of wanted to try out a new Muggle trick…"  
Natasha nodded, encouraging her sister to go on.  
"We levitated a bucket of water on the top of a door…and when someone opened the door, you know, the water would come down and, well, anyway, Fred and I thought we'd try it out…"  
"And…?" Natasha prompted.  
"And," Ellen sighed. "We did it to Tamsin."  
"Well, she'll forgive you right?" Natasha asked, patting her sister on the knee. She didn't understand why Ellen was feeling so bad – everyone was used to her practical jokes.  
"Yeah, she'll probably forgive us…if she knew that we did it," Ellen explained. She searched her sister's face, trying to decipher how Natasha was feeling.  
"Who…does she think...did it?" Natasha asked slowly.  
"Ryder Crabbe," Ellen said. "I heard them arguing this morning."  
"Oh wizard God, this won't end well," Natasha said.

Meanwhile, Tamsin sat sulking in the drawing room. Both Adler and Beathen had tried to talk to her, but she refused to talk. She was angry. She knew that she and Ryder never got along well – she had even admitted to him that she disliked him – but what would possess him to pour a bucket of water on her? Admittedly, she was much more awake after the unorthodox wake-up call, but she was usually a happy person, she didn't want to be angry. And yet, here she was, a scowling face, arms crossed, rudely telling everyone who came near her to go away.  
"Tamsin," Darcius Peverell approached her.  
"Go away, Dad," Tamsin grumbled and turned away from him.  
"Tamsin, this is getting ridiculous," Darcius said, sitting down next to his daughter on the ground. "You've been miserable for the whole morning. Isn't it time to lighten up?"  
"No," Tamsin replied stubbornly.  
"Tamsin," Darcius said softly. He rubbed her back, just as he had done when she was younger. "Tell me what's wrong."  
"I can't," Tamsin said, holding back tears. "I can't tell you."  
"Why not?" Darcius asked.  
"I just can't," Tamsin sniffed, and a tear drop rolled down her cheek.  
"Would you rather talk to your mother?" Darcius asked, a small smile on his face. He continued to rub Tamsin's back.  
"God no," Tamsin said, through her sniffles. Darcius gave a small chuckle, but didn't say anything. They sat that way for the next ten or so minutes before Tamsin opened up. "I don't like living here, Dad."  
"I know, honey, but what choice do we have?" Darcius said softly.  
"We could move?" Tamsin turned around and looked at her father hopefully.  
He gave her a sad smile, "You know we can't do that."  
She nodded, "I know. I understand. But I don't like it. I don't like the people living here." She scowled.  
Darcius pondered for a bit, debating with himself whether he should pry or not. In the end, he opted for the safer option, and said, "It's a big castle. I'm sure you could avoid all those you want to avoid."  
"I couldn't avoid you," Tamsin grinned at her father. She wiped her tear-stained cheeks.  
"You cheeky monkey," Darcius kissed her on the top of her head. "Come on, I don't want to see you down in the dumps. Go play with your friends."  
"Dad," Tamsin pouted and crossed her arms. "I am sixteen years old, I don't 'play'."  
Darcius chuckled, "Well, go do whatever it is you kids do these days."  
He stood up and pulled Tamsin up as well. They hugged.  
"Thanks, Dad," her voice was muffled, but he heard it, and he smiled.

* * *

"So…" Beathen drawled as he entered the room. "Why'd you do it?"  
"Do what?" Ryder looked up from the miniature Quidditch pitch that he was playing with. Little James Potter told him he could play with it.  
"Prank Tamsin," Beathen replied, taking a seat. "You know she's sensitive, right?"  
"Oh yeah, I know," Ryder rolled his eyes. "She's been like that ever since second-year."  
"Ryder," Beathen looked at him seriously.  
"Beathen," Ryder mocked him.  
"She's my friend," Beathen said. "You should apologise."  
"What about me? Aren't I your friend too?" Ryder shot back. "Thanks Beathen," he added sardonically. "For hitting me where it hurts most." He put a hand on the left side of his chest.  
"Stop being overdramatic, Ryder," Beathen scolded, rolling his eyes.  
"Come on, you don't really think I'd hurt precious Tamsin now, do you?" Ryder smirked.  
"Don't mess with me, Ryder," Beathen frowned. He shifted in his seat.  
"And why would you think I'd do that?" Ryder leant back and smiled cockily at Beathen.  
"Because it's something that you do," Beathen replied, ignoring the fact that Ryder was playing mind games with him.  
Ryder sighed, "I didn't do it."  
"What?"  
"The water on top of her door, I didn't do it."  
"I don't believe you."  
"Of course you don't," Ryder rolled his eyes. "I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."  
"Then why was she angry at you?"  
"I laughed at her."  
"Okay, that I believe," Beathen smiled a bit. He stood up and walked to the door. "You should apologise," he said and left the room. Ryder scowled.

* * *

"Hem-hem," Adler cleared his throat nervously as he entered the living room where most of the adults were lounging.  
"Hello Adler," his Aunt Amelinda smiled at him. He nodded at her and gave her a small smile.  
"I need to talk to you," he sat across from his parents. Ginevra put down the magazine she was reading and Regulus disengaged from the conversation he was having with his brother, Sirius.  
"Go on," Regulus said.  
"I know you've been lying to me about the newspaper situation," Adler said. His voice was firm, but he was still incredibly nervous.  
"What newspaper situation, Adler?" Ginevra asked, confused. She ran a hand through her long, red hair and looked intently at her son.  
"You lied to me!" Adler balled his fists up. "You said that they weren't publishing the newspapers anymore, but I found a stack of them in the library."  
"We –" Ginevra began, but Adler shouted over her.  
"It's not fair! You took us here and told us NOTHING," he said. He now stood and looked around at the other adults. "You told us nothing, and just expected us to go along with it. Natasha's still got Quidditch, Ellen can still play practical jokes on everyone, Tamsin…Tamsin can," he sighed. "Tamsin and Beathen can still have their fun with the things that they love, but me?"  
"Adler –" Regulus tried to interrupt.  
"You knew that I was passionate about the news and especially newspapers, and you took that away from me."  
"Adler, it was for your own good!" Ginevra spoke up.  
"How exactly?" Adler lowered his voice. Most of the adults had left during Adler's speech, to give the Black family some privacy. Sirius, however, was still sitting in the same position as he was before. He watched Adler. "How am I going to be prepared for the world when you take the world away from me?"  
"Adler," Sirius interjected. "You said that there were recent newspaper articles in the library, yes?"  
"Yes," Adler nodded.  
"Then why can't you just read those?" Sirius asked.  
"I…I –" Adler stuttered, not having a comeback. He fell silent.  
"We meant what we said when we told you to cancel your subscription," Regulus said crustily.  
"Fine," Adler surrendered and walked, shoulders slumped, out of the room.  
"What's going on with him?" Ginevra asked. She was worried. Adler had never acted like this before.  
"He's a teenager," Sirius replied, shrugging.  
"What's that meant to explain?" Regulus frowned.  
"Oh come on, don't you remember when you were a teenager?" Sirius gave a bark-like laugh. "From what I recall, you did much more than what Adler is doing now."  
Regulus glared at Sirius, as Ginevra fought back a small smile.  
"Just leave him be," Sirius concluded. "He'll come through."  
Regulus didn't say anything.  
"What else can we do, Regulus?" Ginevra asked him gently.  
"Nothing…he's growing up," Sirius said as he stood up.  
"Sirius," Regulus said. "Please, this is my family. Stay out of it."  
"As you wish," Sirius's lips curved into a smile. He smirked at Ginevra before leaving the room. "Hey kiddo."  
"Uncle Sirius," Adler stood up quickly. He was situated with his ear close to the gap between the floor and the door.  
"They're just talking about you," Sirius informed him. "And the keyhole is better for listening, although I would recommend the Extendable Ears."  
Adler stared at her in disbelief, his mouth agape. Sirius shrugged at him and walked away.

* * *

"Ryder Crabbe," Bridget Peverell approached the tall Slytherin boy. Natasha, who was sitting in the same room, watched, her eyebrows raised. She put down her quill.  
"Peverell," Ryder acknowledged her.  
"Whatcha doin'?" she sat down next to him. Ryder shifted over, subtly moving away from Bridget.  
"Just cleaning my broom," Ryder replied, holding his Nimbus 2010 up to show her.  
"Oooh, can I help?" Bridget reached out for the broom.  
"No," Ryder put the broom on his other side and out of Bridget's reach. He glanced over at Natasha, who realised that she was meant to jump in and help him.  
Natasha coughed really loudly. Bridget turned around.  
"Oh, it's you. Hi Natasha," she said, her cheeks red. "I didn't realise you were in the room."  
Natasha fought back a giggle, "I've been here the whole time."  
"Well, do you mind leaving?" Bridget pointed towards the door.  
"Actually, I do," Natasha said. "You see, I'm in the middle of writing a letter…"  
"Couldn't you do it somewhere else?" Bridget scowled.  
"I like the light in here," Natasha smiled at Bridget, who folded her arms and glared at Natasha as if trying to get a message across to her. "I'm not going to leave."  
Natasha continued to smile at Bridget until Bridget cracked. She stood up and left the room.  
"Thanks," Ryder let out a breath of air. "For having my back."  
"Always," Natasha said. "I know you've always got mine."  
Ryder nodded at her, and polished the Nimbus 2010's handle vigorously. Natasha went back to writing.  
"What the hell just happened?" Ryder looked up and asked. He had a stunned expression on his face, as the reality hit him. Natasha just burst into laughter.

* * *

"She did what?" Tamsin asked loudly. Natasha laughed.  
"I told you, it was the weirdest thing I've ever seen," Natasha said. She took a deep breath, took one look at Tamsin's shocked expression and laughed some more.  
"That is so embarrassing," Tamsin said. "I can't believe she'd do that."  
"Why? Come on, Tamsin. It's Bridget," Natasha reasoned with her.  
"That's true," Tamsin nodded. "Still, it's completely embarrassing. Imagine if Ellen hit on…I don't know, think of someone you hate."  
Natasha burst into laughter again, "That is something I do not ever want to think about."  
"Then you know exactly how I feel," Tamsin said, grinning slightly.  
"How do you feel, sis?" Bridget entered the room. Tamsin groaned. Natasha stifled her laughter.  
"What went through your mind, Bridget?" Tamsin asked, her voice stifled as she put her head down on a pillow.  
"Wanna be specific, sis?" Bridget sat down and tapped her finger impatiently on the arm of the armchair. Natasha rolled her eyes. Of course, Bridget completely ignored her.  
"Hitting on Ryder Crabbe?" Tamsin raised her head. "What the heck were you thinking?"  
"Oh come on," Bridget pouted. "I did it for you."  
"What do you mean you did it for me?" Tamsin scoffed. Natasha covered her mouth with her hand, trying her hardest not to laugh. "You're lucky it's only Natasha who knows about this. You could have embarrassed me in front of everyone."  
"Oh please," Bridget said. "You could embarrass yourself without me helping you."  
Tamsin turned away from her sister and looked out of the window.  
"I'm sorry, that wasn't fair," Bridget said.  
"What exactly were you hoping to achieve with your uh…little…um…with what you did?" Natasha asked.  
"I was hoping to find out Crabbe's secrets and expose him," Bridget huffed and muttered under her breath audibly, "Not that it's any of your business."  
Natasha ignored her last comment. "You'll never find out Crabbe's secrets…I thought Ravenclaws were meant to be intelligent."  
"Whatever," Bridget said.  
Tamsin turned around and made a face at Natasha. Natasha made a face back at her.  
"So you were trying to out-manipulate the manipulator?" Natasha said.  
Bridget ignored her and said thoughtfully, "He seems to have a real disliking for Tamsin and I was only going to help her out."  
"As much as I appreciate the gesture, Bridget," Tamsin spoke up. "I think I can handle it myself."  
"By sulking," Bridget pointed out.  
"Whatever," Tamsin brushed her sister off. "I can handle it."  
"But –" Bridget began.  
"Please, Bridget! Just leave me alone!" Tamsin said. "And don't do it ever again."  
"But –"  
"No!" Tamsin yelled. Bridget took a step back.  
"Fine," Bridget said. "Fine. Have it your way."  
Natasha rolled her eyes. Tamsin sighed.

* * *

"What can we do now?" Natasha asked, sitting down.  
"Well, I've figured out that we can't exactly produce a Patronus without a Dementor…" Beathen sighed. He leant on the windowsill.  
"Technically, you can," Adler piped up. "But it requires great skill and –"  
"Okay, okay," Beathen interrupted. "I don't care for technicalities."  
"I think we should get some more information on what the Order is up to," Tamsin said. "Upper Flagley can't be the only town they're trying to uh…protect."  
"Okay, we can do that," Beathen nodded. "They're having another meeting shortly."  
"How are we going to sneak in?" Adler asked.  
They paused and altogether looked at Natasha. She held her hands up in the air.  
"Why are you all looking at me?" she asked.  
"You got in last time…" Beathen drifted off.  
"At the expense of another," Tamsin muttered.  
"I'm sorry about that," Natasha said. "I don't know guys…"  
"Are you backing away from a challenge, Malfoy?" Beathen teased.  
"No!" Natasha replied huffily.  
Beathen and Adler shared a smug smile.  
"Still as proud as ever, eh?" Tamsin faced her. Natasha scowled.  
"By that, she means yes," Adler laughed, and high-fived Beathen.  
"There you all are!" the door opened to reveal a flustered looking Ginevra Black and Amelinda Malfoy.  
"Hello mother," Adler and Natasha said at the same time.  
"Why were you looking for us?" Natasha asked.  
"We're about to have another meeting," Ginevra explained.  
"Told you so," Beathen mouthed to them.  
"And we need you to look after the younger kids," Amelinda said.  
"Awwww, why can't Teddy and Victoire do it?" Natasha complained.  
"They've been doing it for the past week," Ginevra said. "It's time you four took initiative."  
"Fine, come on, let's just do it," Tamsin stood up.  
"That's the spirit," Amelinda smiled at her.

A quarter of an hour later, they found themselves running around the castle. Roxanne and Lily had convinced them to play a game of chasey. They had decided to split up – four people who are "it" had more of a chance catching the rest of the kids playing.  
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Adler called loudly. He heard running feet but could not see anyone.  
In a corridor nearby, Beathen walked grudgingly, dragging his feet along the ground. He stared straight ahead, so it was no surprise that it came as a shock to him when he found himself sprawled on the ground. He looked behind him and saw a thick rope pulled tight, and he narrowed his eyes. He followed the rope to a little gap in the wall, but by the time he got there, the rope had gone limp and all he could hear was the sound of feet and laughter. Beathen examined the gap in the wall, and thought to himself, 'These kids are good'.  
"What are you doing?" Adler's voice pulled him out of his examination.  
"Check this out," Beathen showed Adler what he was looking at. Adler gave Beathen a puzzled look.  
"What am I meant to be looking at exactly?" Adler asked.  
"The kids used this rope to trip me," Beathen explained.  
"And?"  
"I just think it's a crafty idea," Beathen shrugged. "It may come in handy one day, when we're, you know, fighting."  
"Oh…"  
"Remind me to tell Tamsin to pack rope," Beathen said. Adler nodded.  
A loud scream interrupted their conversation.  
"What was that?" Adler asked, looking around them.  
"Come on," Beathen ran towards the source of the noise.  
They all met up in the Entrance Hall.

"Who screamed?" Adler, Beathen and Tamsin all asked in unison. They all looked at Natasha.  
"It was me," Natasha said, going red. She felt incredibly embarrassed.  
"Why? What happened?" Tamsin asked urgently.  
"Oh, the kids just played a prank on me. Nothing big," Natasha tried to brush it off, but muttered underneath her breath, "Freaking mask. I'm going to have nightmares now."  
"Those damn kids!" Tamsin said. "They got me too."  
"And me," Beathen said.  
Adler looked at them all and said, "Well, that's unfortunate."  
"Tamsin, why are you wet?" Beathen had just noticed the water dripping into a small puddle at her feet. "Is it raining outside?"  
They all turned to face the window. Patches of sunshine seeped through, lighting up sections of the hall.  
"Right," Beathen said awkwardly. "I take that back."  
"Another bucket of water on top of a door," Tamsin frowned and twisted her sleeve. Natasha stepped back as the puddle of water spread.  
"I almost slipped on the Muggle version of Gobstones as well," Natasha said. "What do they call those little balls?"  
The others shrugged.  
"Why would they have the Muggle version of Gobstones?" Beathen asked, clearly confused. "They're all witches and wizards. Aren't Gobstones enough?"  
Everyone shrugged again.  
"We're digressing," Adler pointed out. "We need to find the kids."  
"Okay, let's go," Tamsin said. "Via my bedroom. I need to change."

Ten minutes later, Tamsin was in dry clothes and they began their search. They reached the top floor and came across something that Adler called, in a sarcastic tone, an obstacle.  
'_We are playing hide and seek now. Come and find us. –J.P. and A.P.'  
_"Aw come on," Tamsin sat down on the top stair. "I'm tired."  
"I don't want to play hide and seek either," Adler joined her.  
"Let's just find them," Natasha sighed. "That way, we can reduce the time we have to wait until the end of the meeting…"  
"Yeah, I agree," Beathen said unenthusiastically. "Let's just hope they've run out of ideas to trap us or something."  
"Let's go," Natasha said, a determined look on her face.  
The castle, which was similar to Hogwarts, had many rooms, though not as many staircases. They made their way through the castle, opening doors, closing doors, searching rooms. Most of the rooms were bare, the floor covered with dust. They once came across a bedroom that probably once belonged to a wealthy Muggle.  
"This is hopeless," Adler sighed. Tamsin nodded in agreement.  
"Come on, last door and we can go down a floor," Beathen tried to enthuse them. It didn't really work, as Beathen himself was not feeling particularly enthusiastic.  
Natasha skipped forward and pulled on the handle. She looked back at them.  
"It's locked," she said.  
"Why?" Tamsin asked.  
"How the hell do I know?" Natasha replied.  
"We've never come across a locked door before," Adler said. He tried to open the door too.  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Beathen rolled his eyes. "Move over."  
Natasha stepped back and pulled Adler and Tamsin with her.  
"Alohomora," Beathen pointed his wand towards the door handle. It clicked. "Voila."  
They made their way into the room, eyes roaming for any signs of anything interesting.  
"That's disappointing," Tamsin commented. "It's a storage room."  
Natasha and Beathen wandered toward the far end of the room. Adler sat down on a box.  
"Come on guys, there's nothing to see here," Tamsin said, feeling a little dejected.  
"Why was it locked then?" Natasha called.  
"Guys!" Adler stood up excitedly.  
"What?" Beathen spun around.  
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Adler said. Beathen froze.  
"What?" Tamsin asked.  
"This bottle here is marked Bellatrix Lestrange," Adler held up a tiny vial for them to see.  
"What's that inside it?" Tamsin asked, reaching out for it. Adler gave it to her. Beathen was still rooted to the spot, in the middle of the room. Natasha stayed where she was at the far end.  
"It's swirly…and white and uh…" Tamsin tried to explain it.  
"It's a memory," Adler said confidently, holding out his hand. Tamsin returned it to him.  
"A memory?" Beathen asked, uncertainly, which made Adler scowl.  
"Trust me, Beathen, I know," Adler said. "I read about them in my third-year."  
"Okay, okay," Beathen said impatiently. He took a small step forward.  
"Guys," Natasha said. She had her back turned to them, and but in front of her was something that emitted a silver-white glow.  
"Natasha?" Tamsin called out tentatively.  
"I found a Pensieve."

* * *

**A/N:** _And the suspense continues. So a summary of the chapter:  
__- There is a lot about Ryder Crabbe in this chapter, and I'm hoping from the different relationships he has with the main characters, you can see what kind of person he is. Here's a quick recap -  
_~ Adler and Ryder: they've only just started speaking. They had seen each other in school, but had not spoken before. Adler had been aware of Ryder's presence because Ryder was one of the 'populars', but Adler had always been hiding behind his books, so Ryder didn't really know him well. Ryder only knew that Adler was Natasha's cousin.  
~ Tamsin and Ryder: they have a hate relationship…mostly. They did have a nice moment back in the last chapter, but they clash. Tamsin really dislikes him, and Ryder kind of reciprocates those feelings. However, we notice that when she's upset, he does tone it down.  
~ Natasha and Ryder:: they have each other's backs. Well, from this chapter, we know Natasha has Ryder's back, but I think we can assume that Ryder is a good enough person to have her back too.  
~ Beathen and Ryder: this is an interesting friendship – it's a secret. We still don't know why they're keeping it a secret. And even though they're close, Beathen still doesn't believe Ryder, even when he's telling the truth. What does this say about the person Ryder is/was?  
_- From Adler's confrontation, I hope you can see that in a short amount of time, a person can change. Adler has been influenced, by those around him, to become rather rebellious – something he has never been before, and his parents have noticed, though of course, Sirius just blames it on him being a teenager – which is a plausible explanation.  
__- Bridget seems to really dislike Natasha. We don't know why yet. Also, Bridget used to be a proud Ravenclaw.  
__- They have discovered some kind of storage room, where Adler found a vial containing a memory with Bellatrix Lestrange's name on it and Natasha found a Pensieve._

**Follow: HelpingHPLovers** (put an 'at' sign before it) on Twitter! I'm co-owning with two wonderful people and we're supporting and helping Potterheads with any troubles that they might face! :)  
And_ as always, feel free to leave some **love**! :) x_

* * *

**_What to expect next chapter:  
_**_- Obviously, a continuation from where we left off – we now have a Pensieve and a vial of memories…we're going back in time!_

* * *

**Disclaimer: **What you recognise belongs to the wonderful J. K. Rowling. What you don't, my friends and I own! The Story Cover (which will be uploaded between now and the next update) belongs to my lovely sister! I can't wait for you guys to see the image! Thanks sis! :)


	5. Le Strange Memory

**Chapter Five: Le Strange Memory**

"_Bellatrix Lestrange," Adler said. Beathen froze.  
_"_What?" Tamsin asked.  
_"_This bottle here is marked Bellatrix Lestrange," Adler held up a tiny vial for them to see.  
_…  
"_It's a memory," Adler said.  
_…  
"_Natasha?" Tamsin called tentatively.  
_"_I've found a Pensieve."_

* * *

"We have to see it," Adler said. He began walking towards the back of the room when Beathen flung out an arm to stop him.  
"Can it wait?" Beathen asked weakly. Tamsin eyed him suspiciously.  
"Okay," Tamsin said gently. She sensed that something was bothering Beathen – she had only seen him act this way once, and that was caused by the Dementors.  
"But –" Adler began, not noticing Beathen's discomfort.  
"Leave it, Adler," Tamsin said pushily. Adler dropped it. "Let's uh…look around."  
"Find anything down there, Malfoy?" Beathen shouted, satisfied that they had moved on from the topic of Bellatrix Lestrange and the memory.  
Natasha, who had moved away from the Pensieve during the conversation, just shook her head, "There is a lot of parchment in here."  
"What does it say?" Adler asked curiously. He slipped the vial into his jean pocket.  
Natasha rolled her eyes and ignored her cousin's question. Did he expect her to read out all five stacks of parchment?  
"The dates vary from 1995-2000," she told them. "Sound familiar to you?"  
"The years before and after Voldemort's second reign," Adler recited, nodding more to himself than to the others.  
Natasha nodded, "I think the Order is using this room as a storage room. We could find valuable information in here."  
"That would explain the parchment," Adler pulled the top one off the nearest pile and looked at it.  
"No, it wouldn't," Tamsin spoke up. Beathen stayed quiet.  
"Yes, it would," Adler began. He took a deep breath.  
"Let her explain," Natasha cut across and told him quietly. She was looking at Beathen suspiciously – he was acting rather strangely.  
"Fine," Adler grumbled. He absent-mindedly began flicking through the booklet he was holding.  
Tamsin cleared her throat, "Why would the Order have a storage room here in the castle?"  
"The castle is the home base of the Order now," Adler said. "They can't exactly go back and forth between 12 Grimmauld Place and here." He rolled his eyes at Tamsin's questions.  
Beathen sat down on a stool in the corner, Natasha still watching his every move.  
"But why would they have a storage room that's so easy to find and get into?" Tamsin argued. She crossed her arms and stared fixedly, and rather intimidatingly, at Adler.  
He did not remove his gaze from hers as he replied, "They didn't think that anyone would find it."  
"And he's meant to be the narrow-minded one," Natasha said light-heartedly.  
They both turned to stare indignantly at Natasha.  
"Shut up!" Adler said.  
Natasha shrugged and made her way over to Beathen.  
"The Order is not that stupid," Tamsin started again. "They wouldn't leave a Pensieve lying around like that!"  
"This castle's huge!" Adler retorted. "It's a plausible explanation."  
"Nah-uh," Tamsin yelled.  
"Yah-huh," Adler yelled back.

"What's up, Prince?" Natasha moved a stack of boxes off a desk and sat down across from Beathen.  
"What makes you think anything's up?" Beathen snapped.  
"You're snapping at me," Natasha said patiently. "You never snap at me."  
Beathen didn't reply. Natasha looked at her surroundings and picked up a book.  
'_The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore'_ was stamped on the book cover, along with a moving picture with the great man himself. She smiled sadly.  
"What's that?" Beathen said. He pointed to something that was poking out at the back of the book.  
Natasha flicked to the page and pulled it out.  
"It's a note," she said. "From Rita Skeeter."  
"That cow?" Beathen raised his eyebrow.  
"I'll read it out to you," Natasha said.  
'_Dear Batty,  
__Thanks for your help. Here's a copy of the book, hope you like it. You said everything, even if you don't remember it.  
__Rita.'  
_"Batty?" Beathen asked confusedly.  
Natasha didn't say anything. Instead, she looked over at Adler and Tamsin, who were still yelling at each other.  
"They're still not done?" she asked.  
"Obviously not," Beathen rolled his eyes. "Who's Batty?"  
"Bathilda Bagshot," Natasha passed the book to him.  
"Oh, this book is rubbish," Beathen grimaced at the sight of Rita Skeeter's name. "I seriously don't know how anyone could get through it."  
"Hey, check this out," Natasha sat up straighter and jumped off the table. She crouched next to Beathen.  
"This is Dumbledore's writing," Natasha said.  
"How do you know?" Beathen wondered.  
"I kind of read the book," Natasha bit her lip and looked at Beathen, who attempted to look at her disappointingly but instead, punched her arm playfully and laughed. "Anyway, this is Dumbledore's writing."  
"Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him," Beathen read. "I don't get it."  
"Neither do I," Natasha shrugged.  
"Do you think Batty had anything to do with it?" Beathen asked thoughtfully.  
"No idea, but…Batty, honestly," she sniggered. "Poor woman, having a name like that."  
"Be nice, Malfoy," Beathen cautioned.

Adler and Tamsin made their way over.  
"We've finished arguing," Adler announced.  
"Conclusion?" Natasha turned to him.  
He grinned, "This is the Order's storage room."  
"I'm glad," Natasha said shortly. She glanced at Tamsin. "You okay?"  
"Yeah, whatever," Tamsin said offhandedly with a wave of a hand. She looked directly at Beathen, "Spill."  
"Spill what?" Beathen asked innocently.  
"Come on, we all know that something's up," Tamsin said a little harshly.  
"Excuse me," Adler said loudly. "We don't all know that something's up." He pointed to himself.  
"Exactly, listen to Adler, nothing is up," Beathen said quickly.  
"You're just making yourself look more suspicious," Natasha told him. "Come on, give it up."  
"I will not succumb to peer pressure," Beathen folded his arms and stared at each of them.  
"I'm not a part of this," Adler reprimanded. "Stop staring at me."  
Tamsin sighed and decided to take a different approach.  
"Beathen," she said gently. "We know something is bothering you, and it started when Adler mentioned Bellatrix Lestrange."  
Beathen involuntarily shivered.  
"Aha," Natasha cried triumphantly. "And succumb to peer pressure you did."  
"You're being insensitive" Tamsin turned to her. "Stop it."  
"Yes, boss," Natasha said, the sarcasm evident in her tone. She saluted Tamsin, who glowered at her. Natasha just gave her a smile, which infuriated Tamsin further. They both turned to face Beathen.  
"What?" Beathen said defensively.  
"Okay, now I think something's wrong," Adler said. "You're not always this defensive. He's not always this defensive, right?"  
"Right," Tamsin answered quickly. "Come on, spill."  
"Give me the vial," Beathen said.  
"But –" Adler began.  
"No questions," Beathen cut across him.  
"Fine," Adler said, biting back his retort. He handed the vial over.  
Beathen took it without a word and went over to the Pensieve. He poured its contents in.  
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked bewilderedly.  
"Shh, shh," Beathen said. He beckoned them over, and together, they entered the memory.

It was pitch black. They lit their wands. Bellatrix Lestrange's evil cackle sounded to their right. Beathen felt the hair on his arms stick up. She came into view. They were in what could be described as a living room, the only source of light the fire roaring in the fireplace, flooding the room with warmth and a reddish colour.  
"Rodolphus, _darling_," she said in a sickly sweet voice, emphasising the endearment. "How is my dearest sister-in-law?"  
"She's fine," Rodolphus answered his wife brusquely. The expression on his face showed that he was confused as to why she had asked him the question. He sat in an armchair, aimlessly throwing pieces of parchment into the fireplace.  
"What's going on?" Adler whispered to Natasha, forgetting that he couldn't be seen or heard. She shrugged, but both she and Tamsin noticed the pained expression on Beathen's face.  
"Good, good," Bellatrix walked around the room, pointing her wand at the ornaments and throwing them from one side of the room to the other. Tamsin flinched as one went straight through her. Rodolphus seemed not to be disturbed by this. Perhaps this was a regular occurrence in the Lestrange household.  
"And her husband?" Bellatrix continued to enquire.  
"Fine," Rodolphus answered shortly.  
"And their son?"  
Beathen whitened. Rodolphus didn't answer her.  
"When are we going to see them again?" Bellatrix pouted, though she had an air of indifference about her.  
Rodolphus shrugged. The scene began to fade before them and before they knew it, they were once again engulfed in darkness.  
"What's happening?" Natasha gripped tightly onto Tamsin's hand. She was terrified of the dark.  
"We aren't being pulled out of the memory yet," Adler said. "I think there's more."  
"Are you okay, Beathen?" Tamsin asked concernedly.  
"No," he muttered faintly. The others heard him, but did not know what to say, so they decided to stay quiet. A new scene unfolded before them.

They found themselves in a cavernous dining room. The roof was raised, but a chandelier hung directly above them, its crystals spreading the light from the candles in almost every direction. The dining table itself was clear, except for a large assortment of flowers in an eloquent vase. Rodolphus was sat at the head of the table. His aura was much livelier than it had been in the previous memory. He smiled at the young boy, who seemed to be around nine or ten years old, sitting next to him before turning to laugh at the woman sitting on his other side. She squatted him lightly on the arm, which only caused him to laugh again.  
"You there, hurry up and bring the food," Bellatrix's bark interrupted the happy scene. She had a deranged look in her eyes and she stared down at the house elf now hurrying back and forth carrying plates. "Useless creature," she scoffed. "It's a wonder why I keep you. Move it!"  
The little boy cringed. The man who was sitting next to him, and could be assumed to be his father for they were almost identical to each other, patted him softly on the head.  
"It's really great to see you again, Irene," Rodolphus told the woman. His eyes lit up every time he talked to her. Beathen looked at her longingly.  
"I know, Roddie," Irene replied. "But it's your own fault you don't get to see me often"  
Rodolphus bowed his head.  
"It's true you know," the man sitting next to the little boy said. He had a nice, mellow voice.  
"After Rabastan," Rodolphus said quietly. "I couldn't lose you too."  
"Who's that?" Tamsin asked the others quietly. However, Irene answered her question.  
"Oh, the troublesome brother," Irene said dramatically. She cast her eyes down sorrowfully, "Poor Rabastan. You know, Roddie, the feeling is mutual, I couldn't lose you either. You're my big brother. You're all I have left."  
"Irene and I have discussed this, and we think it's time to come out of hiding," the man said.  
"Alan's right," Irene nodded at him. "The Dark Lord has gone."  
They were too engrossed in their conversation to notice Bellatrix's face darken. She twirled her long, dark hair around a finger.  
"Beathen's about to start school soon," Alan said, clapping a hand on his son's shoulder. "We can't stay like this forever."  
"That's _you_?" Adler and Tamsin asked Beathen in surprise. He nodded miserably, still gazing longingly at Irene.  
"This is your family," Natasha said slowly. "Oh my god."  
"How come you didn't tell us you were related to Bellatrix Lestrange?" Adler asked Beathen.  
Beathen gulped, "It gets worse."  
Tamsin pat his arm.  
"Dinner is ready," Bellatrix stood and attempted to be the perfect hostess. However, her patience with the house elf had reached its limits and she just came off as livid and in little Beathen's opinion, scary. "Hurry up," she hissed at the poor house elf.  
"Sit down, Bella," Rodolphus said. He sounded fed up with her.  
"Don't call me Bella!" Bellatrix screeched. She threw a plate at the ground. It shattered.  
Alan covered little Beathen's eyes.  
"Sit down, Bellatrix," Rodolphus amended. She huffed, chest heaving, and sat down, staring into her husband's eyes with loathing.  
Irene cleared her throat uncomfortably, "Let's eat, shall we?"  
Rodolphus nodded, eyes still locked with Bellatrix's.  
"We can discuss where Alan, Beathen and I will be staying after," Irene whispered to her brother. He nodded again, and the scene faded.

Natasha gasped. Bellatrix held her wand up against Irene Prince's neck.  
"I could do it, you know," Bellatrix sneered.  
Irene whimpered, watching not the wand, but the dagger in Bellatrix's other hand.  
"And you'll never see that precious boy of yours again," Bellatrix continued her taunts.  
Irene glanced at her wand, left carelessly on the side table when she had come into the spare bedroom at the request of Bellatrix, who had insisted she just wanted to 'chat'.  
"Mum!" Beathen exclaimed. Tamsin grabbed his hand and squeezed it comfortingly.  
"What do you want, Bellatrix?" Irene asked, her voice filled with anger.  
"How dare you!?" Bellatrix shrieked. "How dare you insult the Dark Lord?"  
Irene's eyes flashed first with confusion, and then with hatred – for the Dark Lord or for Bellatrix, they could not tell.  
"You dare speak ill of the Dark Lord," Bellatrix hissed. "You will not go unpunished."  
Irene struggled against Bellatrix's hold, "What exactly did I do?"  
"You said that the Dark Lord was gone," Bellatrix whispered into Irene's ear. She let out another evil cackle. "Foolish woman."  
Irene winced as Bellatrix's wand pressed hard into her neck. She tried to push Bellatrix off.  
"He is gone," Irene said in a cold voice.  
Bellatrix didn't answer her but gave a sadistic smile. She took her wand away from Irene's neck. Irene let out an instinctive sigh of relief, but screamed loudly in pain as she felt the dagger piercing her arm.  
"Mum," Beathen cried.  
"Irene!" the door swung open to reveal a frantic-looking Alan Prince.  
"Oh thank god," Tamsin whispered. She had covered her eyes with her hands, but peeped through the gaps in her fingers.  
"Expelliarmus!" Alan yelled at Bellatrix with such force that she, and her wand, were thrown into a heap in the corner.  
The image of Alan running towards Irene was no longer in front of them, but etched into their minds.  
"This didn't really happen, did it?" Adler asked slowly. Nobody answered him, but deep down, he already knew.

The door swung open and hit the wall with such force that it bounced back and almost hit Bellatrix again. She blew her long hair out of her face and swaggered into the room in a satisfied manner.  
"Oh no," Natasha groaned. Irene was bound to a chair, tears running down her face, her wand in front of her, snapped in half.  
"Did you think, because you housed the Dark Lord, you'd be allowed to get away with it? Did you think that, because you were my husband's sister, you'd get a free pass? Did you think that I wouldn't be able to find you even after he put you into hiding _again_?" Bellatrix goaded, walking around the chair. "Nobody will be able to find you," Bellatrix said, more to herself than to Irene.  
Irene stared blankly ahead, trying her hardest not to look at the sadistic woman walking around her. She could not speak, for her mouth was also bound.  
Boom!  
Both Bellatrix and Irene were startled.  
"What was that?" Bellatrix asked, suddenly fearful. She twirled around trying to find the source of the noise.  
Boom! The loud clanging occurred again. Bellatrix walked around the perimeter of the room, dragging her fingers against the wall.  
Boom!  
Bellatrix jumped. Irene stared at the ground.  
"He will rise again," Bellatrix said. "He will rise like he did before." She looked at Irene coldly. "He will rise," she repeated.  
"Irene?" the booming voice of Rodolphus Lestrange echoed through the outer chambers. Bellatrix panicked.  
"_Avada Kedavra_," she whispered, and fled the room.  
She came face to face with her husband.  
"What have you done with her?" he yelled angrily.  
She rearranged her demeanour and gave a small, cruel laugh, twirling her hair innocently.  
Rodolphus pushed past her into the room.  
"No!" he cried at the sight of his sister's immobile body.  
"_Avada Kedavra_," Bellatrix pointed her wand at him and hit him from behind. He fell forwards and lay flat on his stomach.  
"Good riddance," she said, a satisfied smile planted firmly on her face. She disapparated with a crack.

"Beathen, oh my god, Beathen," Tamsin, who had been fixated on what she had seen, turned around and found Beathen in a crouched position.  
He looked up at them. His face showed flickers of pain, but his voice was firm, and he no longer shook. He said only one word.  
"Closure."  
"Beathen?" Adler asked uncertainly.  
I finally have closure," Beathen explained. He was still in his crouched position.  
Tamsin nudged Natasha, indicating for her to ask him to elaborate, but before she could do anything, he stood up.  
"For years, I wondered how my mother died," Beathen said. "And now I know,"  
"You wouldn't _try_ to go after Bellatrix...would you?" Natasha asked, not sure of how to answer him, or how to proceed further with any questioning.  
Beathen contemplated answering her - he knew that he was looking to avenge his mother's unjust death, but what would the others think? They wouldn't like it at all, but they would not understand. Their mothers were still alive.  
"No," he finally replied, lying.  
"Good," Natasha accepted his answer without a second thought.  
They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't notice a new scene had materialised around them. It was only until Adler made a shushing noise that they realised.

They were standing in what looked horribly like Azkaban, the wizard prison. Of course, none of them had actually been to the place before, but they had seen photographs and maps when they were studying at Hogwarts. They were aware that they were in a cell, and that the pile of rags sitting in the corner was in fact, Bellatrix Lestrange. Tamsin let out a small, triumphant "ha".  
A loud clanging startled them, and Bellatrix too, for she looked up, her large eyes roaming the room.  
"Hello Bellatrix," a man's voice came from the cell door. He spoke in a slow manner and came across as benign, but there was this sharpness to his tone, which showed that he was visiting not for joy, but for business.  
"It's Dumbledore!" Natasha said excitedly.  
"We know!" Adler said.  
"Albus! Why, I wasn't expecting you at all!" Bellatrix clapped her hands in what seemed like delight. However, from her cold eyes and obvious mock-surprised tone, she was the complete opposite of delighted. "I take it Draco did not succeed in killing you?"  
If perturbed at the sudden upbringing of the past, Albus Dumbledore did not show it. He kept calm and collected and proceeded as if she had not said anything.  
"I need you to tell me everything," he said.  
Bellatrix pouted and said in a mock-disappointed tone, "Aw, Alby, you know I can't do that."  
"Then you leave me no choice," Dumbledore said. "But to perform Leglimency on you."  
Bellatrix gave a sharp laugh, "You know very well that I am skilled at Occlumency."  
"Then might I offer you some Veritaserum?" Dumbledore produced a small vial from his pocket.  
Bellatrix blanched.  
"You've no antidote," Dumbledore continued on pleasantly. He ignored her expression of anger and continued on, "What would you like to uh...wash it down with? I've brought some tea. Will that do?"  
"He's good!" Adler whispered to Tamsin. It was clear that Dumbledore was aggravating Bellatrix.  
She glared at him for a while. He sat patiently in the cell, twiddling his thumbs.  
"What do I get if I tell you?" she finally spat out.  
"A nice cup of tea," Dumbledore answered promptly. He flicked his wand once and a tray appeared on the table. "Oh, and you'll get a cake if you're good too."  
"You fool," Bellatrix seethed. "You think you can buy me off with a drink and some sweets? I expected more from you, Dumbledore."  
"I am no fool," Dumbledore replied. "But you are."  
Bellatrix stared at him angrily. They sat in silence for five or so minutes.  
"Bored," Natasha mouthed to Tamsin. Tamsin nodded and shushed her. Beathen and Adler were both watching Dumbledore and Bellatrix intently.  
"Killing your husband? What were you thinking?" Dumbledore asked softly.  
She hissed, "He defended _her_."  
"She's his sister," Dumbledore said in the same soft tone.  
"_She_ said the Dark Lord is gone."  
"And is he?" Dumbledore asked seriously.  
Bellatrix sighed and picked up the teacup in front of her. She took an almighty swig and set it back down on the saucer a little violently. She shoved a small piece of cake in her mouth unceremoniously.  
"Yes," Bellatrix replied. "The Dark Lord is no longer on this Earth."  
Dumbledore looked at her, "Are you telling the truth?" he asked. "Would you make the Unbreakable Vow?"  
Beathen and Tamsin were waiting for Bellatrix to slip so that they could prove that she was lying to Dumbledore, but were surprised when Bellatrix said a reluctant "yes".  
"Is she lying?" Beathen whispered.  
"No," Adler and Natasha said in unison.  
Dumbledore opened his hand and the small vial of Veritaserum lay on his palm.  
"Ohhhh," Tamsin sighed as she understood what Dumbledore had done.  
"Interesting," Dumbledore said and pocketed the Veritaserum.  
"He slipped it into her tea!" Tamsin gushed.  
"That's a smart idea," Beathen nodded. "How'd he know she was going to drink it?"  
"It's Dumbledore," Natasha replied shortly.  
Bellatrix stared at Dumbledore.  
"Let's begin from the start," Dumbledore nodded. "Bellatrix, tell me everything you know about Irene Prince and what you did to her."  
Bellatrix opened her mouth, and the scene dissolved.

"Woah!" Adler said. They were back in the Order's storage room. "That was intense."  
"And it's going to get even more intense," Tamsin said in a hushed voice, eyes wide open.  
"I don't understand..." Natasha said. She was still looking into the Pensieve.  
Beathen didn't say anything. He just tapped Natasha on the shoulder. She turned around.  
"Uh-oh."  
Severus Snape stood in the doorway and looked down his hooked nose at the four teenagers.  
"Snooping, are we?"

* * *

**A/N:** _I know this chapter was very Beathen-central and rather short-ish, but I felt like I needed to explain his past...and I'm hoping that at the start, you noticed that the other three had no clue what had happened to Beathen. So a short summary:  
__- They figure out that the room that they've found is being used as the Order's storage room. The room housed many objects from the past, such as the copy of 'The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore' that Harry and Hermione took from Bathilda Bagshot's house when they visited Godric's Hollow when they were hunting Horcruxes.  
__- They entered Bellatrix Lestrange's memory and met Beathen's parents: Alan and Irene Prince. Irene was Rodolphus's younger sister, and he was quite overprotective of her, which was only natural, because they lost their middle brother, Rabastan, in the war.  
__- Furthermore, Beathen is related to both Adler and Natasha through Bellatrix - as she is their parents' cousin.  
__- Beathen finally gets some closure as to how and why his mother died. Turns out Bellatrix is still as crazy as she was when Voldemort was alive.  
__- Dumbledore is one smart man. He tricked Bellatrix into telling him the truth, and that is how we have her memory.  
__- And right at the end when they were pulled out of the memory, they get caught! By Beathen's uncle, Severus Snape. What's going to happen next?_

I don't know how soon I can get chapter six finished - hopefully, by next week! And as always, feel free to leave the love :) x

* * *

**_What to expect next chapter:  
_**_- Will Snape punish them or let them go?  
__- We find out the real reason Beathen and Ryder are friends.  
__- Adler slowly coming out of his shell…  
- They find out what happened during the Order's meeting - the one that happened while they were in the Pensieve._

* * *

**Disclaimer:** What you recognise, J.K. Rowling owns. What you don't, my friends and I do. :) Also, check out the Story Covers! My sister designed and drew the TGQ one, and I did the LiaSoG one! :) x


	6. An Emotional Range Far Larger Than A TSp

**Chapter Six: An Emotional Range Far Larger Than A Teaspoon**

_Severus Snape stood in the doorway and looked down his hooked nose at the four teenagers.  
__"Snooping, are we?"_

"Uncle Severus!" Beathen exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"  
"I could ask the same about you, Beathen," Snape said.  
"I - well, we...um, we were just...um...yeah..." Beathen mumbled.  
"We came across this room," Natasha spoke up. "We weren't _exactly_ snooping."  
"Is that so, Miss Malfoy?" Snape raised an eyebrow at her, falling into his old teaching manner. However, he spotted something out of the ordinary and immediately went back to being casual. "What's that in your hand, Adler?"  
Adler looked down and found that he was clutching the vial which had previously contained Bellatrix Lestrange's memory. Adler handed it to Snape.  
"Please, sir, we weren't doing anything wrong," Tamsin gushed. She was a little intimidated by Beathen's uncle.  
Snape ignored her and turned to Beathen, "Is this the -"  
"Yes," Beathen replied.  
"Where -"  
"Yes."  
"And Dumbledore -"  
"Yes."  
Adler, Tamsin and Natasha followed the conversation back and forth, barely keeping up with the rate of which it was flowing...or not flowing, for Snape was getting cut off by Beathen's 'yes'.  
"So you have seen," Snape said, his voice grave. "I thought the day would come when you would wonder and you would look for closure, but I did not think it would be this soon."  
"I've been wondering for a while now," Beathen admitted. "I think ever since the fall of the Ministry...ever since we found out von Rubenstein was behind all this."  
"And you know?" Snape gave the others a sweeping look.  
"Yes," Adler replied. "We do know."  
Snape nodded, "I must ask you to keep this to yourselves, and to keep Beathen out of trouble..."  
Beathen looked at them sheepishly.  
"Now go, and I will turn a blind eye," Snape said.  
"We were never in here?" Natasha asked to clarify what he meant.  
"You were never in here," Snape repeated.  
They hurried out.

* * *

"Beathen, are you sure you're alright?" Tamsin asked worriedly. What they had just seen was so terrible that it would probably scar her for life. She wouldn't know what to do if she was in Beathen's situation. She suddenly felt awful for thinking that her own mother didn't love her.  
"I'm fine," Beathen said, remaining strong,  
"I can't believe she would do that," Adler said quietly. "I can't believe anyone would even consider doing something like that."  
"Von Rubenstein would," Natasha brought up bluntly. "He did it to Ryder's mother."  
"You don't think they're working together, do you?" Tamsin shivered slightly.  
"Quite possibly," Beathen replied. "I haven't heard much of Bellatrix lately. She must be in hiding...though I don't really understand why..."  
"Wait...did she escape from Azkaban?" Tamsin asked. This was the first time she had heard anything about an escape from the wizard prison ever since Voldemort's downfall.  
"Yeah, it was just after Von Rubenstein made himself known to the wizarding world," Natasha said.  
"It was all hush hush at the Ministry though," Adler added.  
"And they didn't want the public to know that a crazy woman got out," Beathen said grimly.  
"I bet Von Rubenstein did it," Natasha muttered.  
"Hey!" Tamsin exclaimed. "How come you three know about it, and I don't!?"  
"Um..." Adler didn't meet her eye. Tamsin looked expectantly at Beathen and Natasha.  
"Well...um...you know...um..." Beathen began.  
"MUM WANTS YOU!" a loud yell interrupted them.  
They all turned to face the door, where Ellen stood with her arms crossed.  
"How long have you been here?" Natasha blanched.  
"Long enough to know that Von Rubenstein let Bellatrix Lestrange out of Azkaban," Ellen's mouth curved into a small smile.  
"If you know what's good for you, you'll pretend that you didn't hear it!" Natasha hissed.  
"Oh, but I did!" Ellen continued to taunt her sister.  
"Why does Aunt Amelinda want to see Natasha?" Adler asked Ellen. Ellen shrugged.  
"Can't be because you're all talking about Hector Von Rubenstein behind their backs or anything..."  
"They know!?" Natasha shrieked, "Ellen! How could you!?"  
Ellen laughed, "I was only joking."  
Natasha glared at her sister, "Well, it's not funny."  
"Never said it was," Ellen shot back. She looked around at the others, who shrugged at her. "Anyway, you should go see her."  
Natasha sighed, "Fine."  
The others stood up too.  
"Um, alone," Ellen said. "She wants to see you alone."  
Natasha rolled her eyes at her sister and walked out of the door. Ellen followed her.

Tamsin, Beathen and Adler glanced at each other.  
"I suppose we can't just forget about all of this?" Beathen asked hopefully.  
"No," both Tamsin and Adler spoke at the same time.  
"We need to discuss it," Adler said.  
"There's nothing to discuss," Beathen argued. He shrugged, "You know everything about me now." 'Except for my friendship with Ryder,' he added in his head.  
Tamsin moved forward and hugged him, "I'm sorry."  
Beathen hugged her back and whispered, "You don't need to be, it's not your fault."  
"Still, I'm sorry."  
"I know."  
Adler sat back down on the couch, wondering why Beathen did not want to talk about his past with them. He knew that it hurt, but he thought that they were friends. Close friends. And he thought that close friends talked about these kinds of things. He pushed it to the back of his mind as Ryder Crabbe entered the room.

Ryder smirked, "Am I interrupting something?"  
Tamsin pulled out of the hug and scowled.  
"Crabbe," Beathen said, his voice suddenly icy cold. At least that was what it seemed like to Adler.  
"Prince, Peverell," Ryder nodded at them, a smirk still plastered on his face. "Hi Adler."  
Adler was surprised that he got a 'hi'. Beathen and Tamsin stared at him, obviously surprised as well.  
"Hi Ryder," Adler replied quietly.  
Tamsin ignored Ryder, still staring at Adler. This was strange. What was going on between them?  
"What do you want?" Beathen asked.  
"A word," Ryder replied shortly. He glanced at Tamsin, who was still pointedly ignoring him. He smirked.  
"Why?" Adler asked curiously.  
Unable to avoid not joining into the conversation, Tamsin provided the answer, "They have, and I quote, 'unfinished business' unquote."  
"And so she speaks at last!" Ryder exclaimed dramatically. Beathen rolled his eyes. Tamsin glared at Ryder.  
"Well, I guess uh...Tamsin and I will um...leave now," Adler said. He was feeling a little bit uncomfortable watching Tamsin and Ryder staring at each other - Tamsin obviously angered, and Ryder somewhat amused. Tamsin broke off the stare to gather her things.  
"Yes! I win!" Ryder pumped his fist into the air. Beathen snorted trying to contain his laughter. Tamsin rolled her eyes. Ryder smirked, "Better luck next time, Peverell."  
"Come on, Adler," Tamsin said. She didn't want to waste her time on Ryder Crabbe.  
"Bye!" Ryder called after them cheerily. He waved. Tamsin made the mistake of turning around because she caught Ryder in the middle of blowing them a kiss. Revolted, Tamsin sped ahead, Adler trying to keep up with her.

As soon as they had left the room, Beathen burst into laughter. Ryder gave him a small smile, trying his hardest not to laugh as well, but it was a futile attempt. Whenever Beathen laughed, it was contagious.  
"You're not going to stop, are you?" Beathen finally asked. He clutched his side, holding a stitch.  
"She makes it easy," Ryder grinned and shrugged.  
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Beathen asked,  
"Yeah, go for it," Ryder turned to him. He made himself comfortable on the couch.  
"When did you and Adler get so friendly?" Beathen asked. "You said hi to him."  
"You jealous?" Ryder smirked,  
"No," Beathen answered shortly. "Just curious."  
Ryder raised an eyebrow at him, "I don't know, I just respect the guy."  
"So it's about respect, huh?" Beathen said.  
Ryder shrugged, "He's alright, for a Ravenclaw."  
"So I'm not alright for a Gryffindor?" Beathen asked.  
Ryder rolled his eyes, "Would I be friends with you if you weren't alright?"  
"I guess not," Beathen said with a resigned sigh.  
"What's all this about, Beathen?" Ryder asked.  
"What do you mean?"  
"This isn't about Adler's hi. You don't care about Adler's hi. This isn't even about my friendship with Adler," Ryder said. "So my question is, what is this all about?"  
"I..." Beathen began. He stopped himself, trying to think of how to say it. Ryder didn't push. "I think it's time we speak about why we're not explaining to the others why we aren't speaking."  
"Come again?" Ryder asked. He had zoned out and everything that Beathen had just said sounded like gibberish to him.  
"I think that," Beathen said more slowly. "We should tell the others why we're friends."  
He was met with silence. For the next two minutes, they stayed in that silence, both dwelling on what Beathen had said.  
"You're weak" were Ryder's first words. He hadn't meant to say it, but it came out. Beathen scowled.  
"When you say it like that, even I wonder why we're friends," he said.  
"I'm not going to apologise," Ryder said. "Because I'm not sorry."  
"I know you're not," Beathen interrupted.  
"But wasn't all this secretiveness your idea in the first place?" Ryder raised an eyebrow at Beathen accusingly. Beathen scowled some more.  
"Tell me again why I'm friends with you?" Beathen said angrily.  
"Because we called a truce?" Ryder shrugged. "You tell me."  
"It can't be anything about you saving my sorry ass the first time we met or anything," Beathen rolled his eyes.  
"So this is about gratitude? You feel like you owe me and you're paying me back by being my friend?"  
"No," Beathen grumbled. "It's not like that, you don't understand. You're a Slytherin."  
Ryder frowned, "So, after six years of friendship, you're going to play the House card? It's not going to work, Prince."  
Beathen stayed silent. This was not how he had hoped the conversation would go.  
"Look, Prince," Ryder said quietly. "I don't have many friends that I can rely on."  
Beathen feigned surprise, "That's odd! How about all your little cronies who go around beating kids up for fun?"  
"They're not the only ones!" Ryder raised his voice. "You have a whole line of Lions who are more than willing to do as you ask."  
"They do not!" Beathen replied vehemently.  
"Oh yes, they do, and you know it," Ryder told him.  
"Leave me alone, Crabbe," Beathen folded his arms and sat down on the other end of the couch.  
Ryder rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Tamsin and Adler had gone outside to lay in the shade of a beech tree. Tamsin had wanted to ride her broom around their makeshift Quidditch Pitch, but it was much too hot. Summer felt much longer this year, but perhaps this was because they had not been back to school. Adler attempted to take out a book to read, but Tamsin interrupted him.  
"So..." she stretched out the word, indicating that she'd like to talk about something, but was not sure of how he'd feel if she brought it up.  
Adler turned his head and looked at her expectantly.  
"You and Crabbe seem friendly," she stated, trying to act as if she wasn't at all curious.  
"You noticed that too, huh? I thought I was imagining things!" Adler sounded relieved. Tamsin was surprised to hear his reply. "He was a bit rude to you."  
Tamsin shrugged, "I'm used to it. Why'd he say hi to you?"  
"No idea," Adler replied. "We don't talk."  
"I am aware of that," Tamsin said. "The mighty Ryder doesn't notice you if you aren't part of his 'circle' of friends." She used her fingers to indicate the emphasis on the word 'circle'.  
"I guess that's true," Adler nodded, and then shrugged. "He's not noticed me before, but I'm not surprised he's started talking to me now."  
"Really, why?" Tamsin asked.  
"There are only so many people he can talk to here in this castle," Adler explained. "He and Beathen obviously don't get along, he and Natasha get on too well, but have you noticed that it's awkward between them? Especially after she accused him of lying to her -"  
"Which he did," Tamsin intervened.  
"I'm not saying he didn't," Adler said a little impatiently. "And obviously you don't get along with Ryder -"  
"Duh," Tamsin interrupted again. "Sorry," she added hastily as she saw him roll his eyes at her.  
"So that leaves me," Adler said, a little bit resentfully.  
"He must know you're a good guy," Tamsin told Adler. She had noticed his bitterness towards the end.  
"I'm a last resort," Adler said bluntly.  
"No!" Tamsin exclaimed quickly. "Don't say that, Adler!"  
"Why not? It's true," he argued. "There's nobody else in this castle his age for him to talk to."  
Tamsin refrained from rolling her eyes and sighing. "I'm sure that's not true," she finally said.  
"Who's the first person you go to if you have news?" Adler asked her.  
"Oh, um..." Tamsin was caught off guard. "Gabby Granger. She's my best friend."  
"And in the castle?" Adler pushed.  
"Natasha," Tamsin replied, a bit confused as to where Adler wanted the conversation to go. "She knows me second best."  
"Would she go to you first?"  
"Yeah, probably."  
"How about Beathen?"  
"I'd assume he'd go to you first?" Tamsin said uncomfortably. She didn't like where Adler was taking this.  
"No," Adler said. "He goes to you, or Natasha."  
Tamsin was about to protest and say 'No, he doesn't!' when she realised that Adler was right. She looked at him sadly.  
"I always tell you guys everything first," Adler said pointedly.  
"To be fair, we all tell each other everything to do with von Rubenstein first," Tamsin said. "It's only the personal things..."  
"So I'm kept out of it?" Adler accused. "I'm not close enough to any of you to know anything personal?"  
"We're still getting to know each other," Tamsin said quietly.  
"Well, obviously, you aren't making an effort to get to know me," Adler sat up and crossed his arms.  
Tamsin stayed quiet. She hadn't really thought about how they treated each other. To her, it felt like they were connected by von Rubenstein - that became clear when Beathen suggested that they join forces to help the Order secretly. Even though she was related to the others, she still felt like they were strangers, and that they were all trying to get to know each other. Adler was right, there were only five of them in the castle that were the same age. He was right in saying that she and Natasha swapped their news first...but she didn't know, or understand, why Adler felt excluded. She had always tried to include him.  
'"I'm sorry you feel that way," Tamsin said quietly. "I assure you that it's not on purpose."  
"Well, it certainly feels like it is," Adler snapped. He folded his arm and stared across the lawn. He had surprised himself – he hadn't known that these feelings were bottled up inside, but now that he expressed himself, he felt more aware of these emotions.

* * *

Natasha walked back into the room that she had been in before Ellen called her out. She had just come back from speaking to her mother, who had delivered 'very important' news.  
"What's going on?" she asked them. She found it to be very suspicious that Beathen and Ryder were sitting on opposite ends of the couch and had not ruined anything in the room. Normally, at least one object was destroyed.  
"You tell me," Ryder said bitterly. Beathen didn't say anything. Instead, he stood up and walked out of the room. Natasha raised an eyebrow.  
"Ryder Crabbe, you are going to tell me what the hell is going on right now," Natasha told him sternly. "Or Wizard God forbid I will hex you until you'll regret it."  
Ryder groaned, knowing that if he didn't tell her, she was more than capable of hexing him into oblivion.  
"I guess...I'll have to start from the beginning," Ryder looked at her.  
"Where else were you going to start?" Natasha asked, rolling her eyes, sarcasm lacing her tone.  
"It was just before our first year..."

_*Flashback*  
__Ryder Crabbe had convinced his mother to let him go to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies alone. She had let him go, reluctantly, after her husband had told her that Ryder was capable of looking after himself. Ryder wandered the Alley animatedly, visiting shops here and there, buying his supplies for school. Before he forgot, he visited Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and spent some money in there. He liked to shop without his mother hovering about. As much as he loved her, she was a pain to shop with. He had never been shopping with his father, so he couldn't compare the two. He noticed a lot of other school aged people about, but that was normal - school was starting in less than a week! Ryder was excited.  
__"Here you are, dear," Madam Malkin handed him his school robes and thanked him for shopping at her store. He grabbed the brown paper package and headed outside. Just as he was about to visit the Apothecary, a hand covered his mouth and he was dragged backwards._

_Ryder looked around. He must have been knocked out. He was in a small, dark room. He heard a bell ring on the other side of the door, and low voices. He looked around and was surprised to see another person in the room with him.  
__"Hello," he said tentatively.  
__"Hi," the other person replied.  
__"Do you know where we are?"  
__The other person shook their head, "I got separated from my uncle while shopping for school supplies. Next thing I know, I'm in here."  
__"Have you been here long?" Ryder asked.  
__The other person shrugged, "I just came around when they brought you in."  
__"Are you going to Hogwarts?"  
__The other person nodded, "First-year. You?"  
__"Yes, me too."  
__"I'm Beathen, by the way," the other person introduced them-self.  
__"Ryder," Ryder stuck out his arm, and Beathen shook it._

_"So are we going to get out of here, or what?" Beathen looked at Ryder, a determined look on his face.  
__"Yeah," Ryder said. He made his way to the door to peek through the keyhole. "It's a shop!" he exclaimed.  
__"Borgin and Burkes?" Beathen asked.  
__"It looks awfully like it," Ryder grimaced. "I don't like this very much."  
__"No, neither do I," Beathen agreed. "Look, there's a window up there."  
__"That's awfully high up," Ryder commented.  
__"Scared, Ryder?" Beathen smirked.  
__"You wish," Ryder said, as he tried to scale the wall. Needless to say, he didn't succeed. "We need rope."  
__The two eleven-year-olds scoured the room for any materials that could help them.  
__"We can't do this!" Beathen slouched against the wall, feeling tired.  
__"Don't give up!" Ryder said.  
__"You're right, we're not going to get out of here if I sit here complaining," Beathen stood up again, and thanks to Ryder's motivation, started banging on the door.  
__"What are you doing?"  
__"Something we should've done ages ago."_

_They heard footsteps approaching the door. Ryder stood back against the wall and nodded at Beathen. The door opened.  
__"Stop banging on the door," the person said. He was masked, but his voice didn't sound too tough. His eyes were the lightest shade of green though, and this didn't suit his devilish ways at all, assuming he was the one who captured them, of course.  
__"We'll stop as soon you tell us what's going on," Beathen said angrily. He started banging on the wall next to him. Ryder took his lead and hit the wall beside him too. The other person tried to stop them, but they were in their own element. They refused to listen to him.  
__"Okay! Stop! Please!" the other person shouted. It was his 'please' that stopped them. Someone who was capable of being polite surely couldn't have anything to do with the situation that they were in, right?  
_"_Why should we!?" Beathen glared at him.  
_"_They'll hear you."  
_"_Who are they?" Ryder asked curiously. He and Beathen stopped banging. "Why the hell are we in here?" he added.  
__The other person sighed, "You guys shouldn't be too worried. It's a prank."  
_"_Well, it's a stupid prank," Ryder spat. Who in their right mind would knock eleven-year-olds unconscious and lock them in a room?  
_"_I know," the other person sighed again. "My big brother made me the guard."  
_"_You're not doing a good job," Beathen commented.  
_"_I know," the other person said.  
_"_Who's your brother?" Ryder asked, acting as menacingly as he could.  
__The other person fidgeted. "I shouldn't tell you."  
__Ryder and Beathen raised an eyebrow first at him, and then at each other. Simultaneously, they began banging on the walls again, making a loud racket.  
_"_Okay, okay!" the other person hissed. "We're a part of the Mulciber family."_

_Ryder scoffed. Beathen put on a brave face, but was secretly terrified. From the reading that his Uncle had given him, he knew that at least one Mulciber was a Death Eater. Mulciber looked at them, waiting for their reactions.  
_"_Mulciber, huh?" Ryder asked. Mulciber nodded. "Well, you can tell your brother that my father will hear about this."  
_"_Who's your father then, tough guy?" a taller person arrived at the scene. He too had a mask on, but looked much more aggressive than the first person. The taller person slung an arm around Mulciber's shoulder, "What's up, bro?"  
__So this was the big brother…Ryder didn't even falter. Beathen had thought that to be very brave of him.  
_"_Vincent Crabbe," Ryder said, with as much gusto as he could manage. He was instantly satisfied when he saw the two other people whiten. "Are we going to get escorted out now?"  
_"_You're lucky, kid," the older Mulciber told them. "We don't mess with other Death Eaters' kids. Let him go." He sneered at his brother.  
_"_He's with me," Ryder spoke up, when he realised that he was allowed a free pass but Beathen was not.  
_"_Not your call," the older Mulciber jeered.  
_"_Really? I don't recall your last name being Crabbe," Ryder said coldly. "Remember, it was my dad who saved you from that burning house. You owe me."  
__Mulciber glowered at Ryder, but didn't say anything. His younger brother stood idly by, his admiration apparent in his eyes. Nobody ever stood up to his brother.  
_"_Come on," Ryder muttered to Beathen. They walked past the Mulciber brothers and into the gruesomely decorated main room of Borgin and Burkes.  
_"_Hey, there's our shopping," Beathen pointed. They grabbed their bags and headed out into Knockturn Alley. Neither of them said a word until they reached the brightly lit Diagon Alley and were seated out the front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.  
_  
"_Thank you," Beathen said a bit timidly. Ever since finding out Ryder was a Crabbe, and therefore also a former Death-Eater's son, he was being more cautious.  
_"_It's no trouble," Ryder replied.  
__They fell into silence once more. When they had finished their ice-creams, Ryder broke it.  
_"_You know, I really don't like using my name to influence people's decisions," Ryder felt like he owed Beathen an explanation. "I was taught to focus on becoming a better person, rather than relying on my name. But what the Mulcibers were doing were just cruel."  
__Beathen looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry for judging you."  
_"_It's okay," Ryder said pleasantly. He stuck out his hand for Beathen to shake. Beathen gave him a small smile. "I'm sure we'll be friends at Hogwarts."  
__"Yes, I'm sure," Beathen agreed.  
__*End of Flashback*_

"The Mulcibers!? The nerve of them!" Natasha exclaimed after Ryder had finished his recount. She had never met them, but had heard many stories of them circulating the Common Room during her time at school. "What were they planning to do with you?"  
"Well, during the year, I found out that they just wanted to scare the first-years," Ryder said. "Obviously, it didn't work in my case."  
"I don't get it though…you were friends with Beathen before school started. Why did you pretend to hate each other?" Natasha asked. She had very strong ideas about what friendship was, and what Beathen and Ryder had – in her opinion – was not a friendship.  
"Well, he was Sorted into Gryffindor and I was Sorted into Slytherin," Ryder shrugged. "We had to keep the house rivalry alive!"  
Natasha frowned, "Inter-house unity was enforced when we were in our third-year."  
"By that time, we had already made it clear that we 'disliked' each other," Ryder pointed out. "It was much easier."  
"I don't understand," Natasha furrowed her brow, feeling frustrated.  
"I didn't think you would," Ryder sighed impatiently.

* * *

"Hey guys," Beathen approached Tamsin and Adler, who were still sitting underneath the beech tree.  
"Hi," Tamsin greeted him. Adler ignored him, which Beathen found very odd. Adler was always very friendly. Beathen sat down next to him, curious, but he didn't pry. He knew that when Adler wanted to talk, he would. Adler, however, was feeling furious – Beathen hadn't even asked him what was wrong! Adler knew he was being silly, but he wanted to have a little bit of attention, considering he didn't ask for it often.  
Beathen yawned, "I'm so tired!"  
"Yeah, me too," Tamsin replied. Adler tried not to glare at the pair of them. He felt that they were now excluding him from the conversation. Tamsin had noticed that Adler was keeping quiet. She knew that he was mad, though she didn't understand why. They were having a conversation in front of him, he was very welcome to join it. She turned to him, "What should we do about von Rubenstein?"  
Adler looked at her, making sure that her question was directed to him before answering with a shrug.  
"Tamsin!" they heard someone call. A figure had just come out of the castle's front doors and was slowly making their way towards the beech tree that Beathen, Tamsin and Adler were sitting under.  
"Ahhh, it's Bridget," Tamsin sighed. "I should go see what she wants." She stood up and left them, in an attempt to stop Bridget before she did any damage – for Tamsin thought all her sister did was cause trouble.  
Beathen watched Tamsin leave, and then turned to Adler. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.  
Adler chose not to answer Beathen's question. Instead, he said, "Did you know that we're sitting under a beech tree, and I have a beech wand?"  
He pulled out his wand to compare it to the tree's wood.  
"Um, Adler?" Beathen asked, suddenly worried.  
"Yes, Beathen?" Adler tried to keep out the snap of impatience in his voice. Unfortunately for him, Beathen noticed.  
"Did I do anything wrong?" Beathen asked. "Because I don't think I did, and you're still treating me like crap."  
Adler thought about it, about telling Beathen everything, how he had felt, how he was now feeling…but a little voice inside his head told him that telling Beathen would make him seem weak. And Adler did not want to be seen as weak.  
"No, of course you didn't," Adler finally said. "I'm just not in a good mood. I'm sorry."  
Beathen relaxed, "That's okay." He pat Adler on the shoulder. Beathen asked, "So what are we going to do about von Rubenstein?"  
"I've no idea," Adler replied. He felt that he should at least answer some questions. Not doing so would result in more questions about whether he was pissed off at the others or not.  
"Well, in any case, we should somehow find out what happened during the meeting this morning," Beathen said when he realised Adler was not going to elaborate. Adler nodded in agreement.

Tamsin had managed to escape her sister, sending her off to check up on Ellen and the younger kids. Bridget had scowled but accepted the dismissal. Tamsin was roaming the castle's corridors and hallways, looking for Natasha – she needed to tell her about what Adler had told her.  
"That is not a friendship, Crabbe!"  
Tamsin heard Natasha's voice rising and frowned when she heard her mention Ryder's last name.  
"Maybe not to you, Malfoy," Ryder replied. "You know, not everyone has the same idea of friendship as you do."  
"But my idea of it is right!" Natasha yelled. Tamsin could almost imagine an eye roll.  
"I'm not going to sit here and argue with you about friendship, Natasha!" Ryder yelled back. "This is stupid."  
"You're stupid," Natasha snapped. Tamsin decided it was time she walked into the room.  
Natasha was sitting on the floor, casting 'Wingardium Leviosa' on the objects around her. Tamsin found the floating furniture quite amusing. The only piece of furniture that was not levitating was the armchair that Ryder Crabbe occupied.  
"Hi Tamsin," Natasha noticed her. Ryder's head snapped up and he looked at her.  
"Peverell," he grinned at her smugly. She chose to ignore him.  
"I need to talk to you, Natasha," Tamsin said.  
"Okay," Natasha said. She pat the ground next to her, inviting Tamsin to sit down.  
"Alone," Tamsin glanced in Ryder's direction.  
"Oh, you want me to leave!?" Ryder stood up quickly and said quite sarcastically. "All you needed to do was ask!"  
Both Tamsin and Natasha rolled their eyes.  
"Actually, can we leave?" Tamsin asked. She glared at Ryder, "_You_ can stay."  
"Yes, ma'am!" Ryder saluted her.  
"Let's go, Natasha," Tamsin literally pulled Natasha up and dragged her across the room.  
"This conversation isn't over, Crabbe!" Natasha called.  
"Oh yes, it is, Malfoy," Ryder taunted her back. He grinned at her. She glared at him.

Tamsin informed Natasha on all that Adler had told her.  
"I had no idea he felt that way!" Natasha exclaimed.  
"Nobody did," Tamsin said pointedly.  
"Why didn't he say anything to anyone?" Natasha asked.  
"He told me," Tamsin said.  
"But –"  
"Look, we've got to be extra nice to him now," Tamsin cut across her.  
"We've always been extra nice to him," Natasha said.  
"Well, we need to include him more," Tamsin said.  
"We've always included him!" Natasha paused, "Does Beathen know?"  
"I don't think so," Tamsin replied.  
"Well, I think we have bigger troubles right now," Natasha said grimly. She bit her lip.  
"What is it?" Tamsin asked.  
"Looks like our parents are flying away," she walked towards the window and pointed into the sky, where a dozen or so broomsticks could be seen.  
"What!?" Tamsin furrowed her brow. She turned around and looked in the direction that Natasha was pointing.  
"Come on," Natasha broke into a run. Tamsin followed her.

"Did you see them?" Natasha almost crashed into Beathen and Adler. They had also seen the broomsticks in the sky and were going back into the castle to find the girls.  
"Of course we did," Beathen said. "Where do you think they're going?"  
"I'm not quite sure," Natasha said.  
"Wait, I'm confused, what did we actually see?" Tamsin asked.  
"Members of the Order of the Phoenix flying away," Adler informed her. "I assume they found out some valuable information in their meeting."  
"Come on, let's go badger someone," Natasha said. She turned and made her way back into the castle.

The first person they bumped into was Ryder.  
"Well, if it isn't the Fab Four," Ryder smirked.  
"Go away, Crabbe," Tamsin said.  
"No, I think I'll just tag along," Ryder sauntered to the back of the group, where Beathen was standing. "Hey Prince."  
Beathen raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't answer. Ryder raised an eyebrow back at him.  
"Well, come on then," Natasha said, taking the leadership position. She was still annoyed at Ryder, but didn't think that they'd get rid of him without a fight.

The second person they walked into was Sirius Black.  
"Uncle Sirius!" Natasha greeted.  
"Hey there, kiddo," Sirius's playfulness didn't quite reach his eyes. That was the first thing Adler noticed.  
"Where were all those brooms flying to?" Adler asked him, cutting to the chase. Natasha was surprised – Adler hadn't really taken initiative before. She was proud of him.  
Sirius bit his lip, but said, "Don't tell anyone I told you, but the Order think that we've found von Rubenstein's headquarters."  
Beathen, Tamsin and Ryder gasped.  
"Where is it?" Natasha asked.  
"Not at the Ministry, like we previously thought," Sirius told them. He sighed, "We have reason to believe that he's using The Burrow."  
"No!" Tamsin exclaimed. "He can't!"  
Sirius nodded at them sadly, "I should go and inform the allies."  
"Okay, thank you for telling us, Uncle Sirius," Adler said.  
"Yes, thank you," Natasha echoed. She turned around to look at the others. They looked at her. "Where's Ryder?"  
"Oh no," Beathen said, as he realised something.  
"Oh no," Natasha repeated.  
"He wouldn't!" Adler said uncertainly. "Right? He wouldn't?"  
"I don't know…he _is_ Ryder Crabbe,,," Tamsin said, just as uncertainly.  
"Accio broom!"  
They heard a loud yell come from outside. A Firebolt whooshed past them.  
"He would," Natasha blanched.  
"Don't do it Ryder!" Beathen ran out and stood on the top step. He had forgotten about their fight, about their friendship. He forgot that the others didn't know about them being friends. He just cared about Ryder's safety.  
"I have to," Ryder said. "You, out of all people, have to understand that."  
He mounted the broom and kicked off hard.

* * *

**A/N:** _I was so tempted to write "What an idiot" at the end. But I thought that that may ruin the mood. So a quick summary:  
__- Nobody, but Snape, knows that they were in that store room – to be fair, not a lot of time has passed since they were caught.  
__- Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban when von Rubenstein came into power – Natasha thinks he has something to do with her escape – but Bellatrix is now in hiding. _**Why?  
**_- Adler has expressed that he has been feeling excluded from the group. Tamsin doesn't understand why because she feels that she has always included him. Adler mainly blames Beathen – perhaps this is because Adler feels that Beathen is the only other boy in the castle his age (Ryder had only _just_ come)…so they should share things. However, Adler does not want to seem "weak" – remember, he is a sixteen year old boy, with a lot of bottled up feelings. :)  
__- Adler mentioned that his wand is of _**beech** _wood, and according to Pottermore:_ "_is a true match; if young – wise beyond his/he years, if full-grown – rich in understanding and experience. When it is properly matched, it is capable of subtlety and artistry rarely seen in any other wood." – I hope you can get a bit more out of Adler's character with that description.  
__- Both Beathen and Ryder were "kidnapped" by the Mulcibers before their first year of school, and became friends because of that experience. They pretended to hate each other to keep the house rivalry alive, and when they were able to openly say they were friends, their reasoning had been that they had 'disliked' each other for too long. Natasha doesn't understand why they're friends because her idea of friendship (which she believes to be right) is not the same as their idea of friendship.  
__- They see members of the Order flying off on broomsticks. Sirius tells them that the Order believe that von Rubenstein's new HQ is at The Burrow – which Tamsin is super shocked about, which is understandable – she's half a Weasley after all (her mum is Elladora Weasley – Arthur Weasley's sister).  
__- Ryder Crabbe flies off, we assume, after them – after telling Beathen that he should understand why. And I'm hoping you know why he flew off like that – he wants to avenge his mother's death. And you know, they now think that they know where von Rubenstein is, so of course, Ryder wanted to go with them. But he is a "think now, act later" kind of guy so…_**will this get him into trouble?  
_-_**_ Tamsin mentioned that her best friend at school was 'Gabby Granger'. We may or may not get some more information on her...but it won't be a lot. If you're wondering - yes, we did make her related to Hermione Granger - Gabby is her cousin._

_I've realised that for the past couple of chapters, it has been very much Beathen-central, but I've tried to answer all the questions we had about him, and tried to move onto a new character to …discover (Adler). And even though there are lots of questions about Ryder, he is not a main character – it is called the Golden _**Quartet** _after all._

Thank you for reading. :) x

* * *

**What to expect next chapter:  
**_- The events that take place after the Order and Ryder fly off.  
- Why Amelinda wanted to talk to Natasha.  
_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** What you mostly recognise is owned by J.K. Rowling (including that bit about wand woods, taken from Pottermore), there is a mention of the 'Fab Four' in here, which I took from Veronica Mars(owned by Rob Thomas), and everything else is owned by my friends and I.


	7. Seven Days

_**A/N: **It has been a while, and I am so sorry! What with exams and procrastination, I couldn't concentrate on the chapter. And it's a long one too - 10.6K words - words that I figured out, yesterday -.-, that I probably didn't need. This is basically a 'filler' chapter, but hopefully, it is fun to read, and you'll (somewhat) enjoy it, despite it being super duper long. Happy reading! x_

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Seven Days**

Tamsin bit down on her lip, looking around anxiously at the dark, rain-filled sky. It had been a week. A really long week. They were meant to be back today, but an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of them. Tamsin heard Adler, who was sitting on the other side of the doorway, sigh. It had been a rough week for him too. She was worried for him - she didn't know how to help him. Beathen, on the other hand, Tamsin wasn't _that_ worried about. Beathen had taken the lead once again after _they_ left. He hadn't been affected by this, perhaps because he was familiar with the feeling of loss. Tamsin wasn't sure. She wasn't sure where Natasha was. Tamsin looked to the sky, hoping for a sign to show that their parents were alright. With half of the adults gone, the castle was eerily quiet. The sounds of running feet and laughter had been quelled for a short time. Fleur had been given the job of looking after the younger ones. The older ones were left to care for themselves – which was nothing new, the majority of them had been to Hogwarts without their parents before. However, this time, there was an element of worry, of insecurity, and they didn't like that at all.

* * *

_**Sunday – Seven Days Ago**_

"_Where are all those brooms flying to?"  
_"_Don't tell anyone I told you, but the Order think that we've found von Rubenstein's headquarters.  
_"_Where is it?"  
_"_Not at the Ministry like we previously thought…We have reason to believe that he's using the Burrow."  
_…  
"_Where's Ryder?"  
_"_Accio broom!"  
_"_Don't do it, Ryder!"  
__"I have to…You, out of all people, have to understand that."  
__He mounted the broom and kicked off hard._

"I can't believe he would do that!" Natasha exclaimed and stamped her foot on the ground. "He doesn't even have a plan!"  
"If anything happens to him, we will not be held responsible," Tamsin said, not realising how mean she sounded.  
"Tamsin!" Natasha and Beathen both turned to her.  
"Why do you care? You hate him," Tamsin sneered at Beathen.  
"Tamsin, calm down," Adler said quietly. "You're going to say things you don't mean."  
"Isn't it true though?" Tamsin took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. "You do hate him, don't you?"  
"No, Tamsin, I don't," Beathen sighed. He launched into the story of how he and Ryder had first become friends. Natasha had to refrain from interrupting, reminding herself that Beathen did not know that she already knew the story.  
"You don't hate him…" Tamsin said in a quiet, disbelieving voice when Beathen had finished. "Did he have you two fooled as well?"  
Adler and Natasha both nodded. Beathen hung his head.  
"I wanted to tell you," he said.  
"Well, we have bigger things to worry about," Natasha intercepted as she saw Tamsin about to retaliate. "We can worry about Beathen and Ryder's so-called friendship later." She glared pointedly at Beathen, who looked confused.  
"Let's go find someone to get more information out of," Adler took the lead. Again, Natasha was surprised, but slightly proud of her cousin.

They made their way to the kitchen area, where they found Molly Weasley furiously scrubbing a large pot – the Muggle way.  
"Hello Aunt Molly," Tamsin greeted her a little hesitantly. "Are you okay?"  
"Oh hello there, you four," Molly stopped her scrubbing to look up at the new arrivals. "Yes, fine, everything is just fine."  
"We know that some of the Order members have left," Adler pointed out. "You don't need to hide anything from us, Aunt Molly."  
"Oh, you know, do you? Who told you?" she asked them. Before they had a chance to answer, she muttered under breath, "Bet it was those Extendable Ears."  
"No one, we saw them," Natasha said. "Are you worried?"  
"No!" Molly replied sharply. She saw the four teenagers raise an eyebrow at each other, and knew that she had given herself away. Tamsin bent down and gave her aunt a hug.  
"We're sorry," Beathen said.  
"It's alright," Molly whispered. "I should be used to it by now." She gave them a small smile. "Now go, before you get grease on you."

They left, and made themselves comfortable on the steps outside, which led into the castle. There was little talk, as each were worried and confused as to what happened. A few times, Natasha left the group for a short amount of time. She insisted she had to look after Ellen. Tamsin had no desire to look after her elder sister, Bridget. They had been hoping to catch some of the remaining members of the Order as they left the castle, but no one passed them. Finally, Hermione and Fleur appeared, conversing quietly.  
"There you four are!" Hermione exclaimed when she spotted them. "I sent Victoire and Teddy to look for you."  
"Why?" Beathen asked, looking from Hermione to a very flustered looking Fleur.  
"Your mother," Hermione looked to Natasha. "May have told you already?"  
Natasha looked bewildered for a second, before nodding to show that she knew what Hermione was talking about.  
"What did Aunt Amelinda tell you?" Adler looked at his cousin.  
"Hermione is going to be teaching us stuff," Natasha said. "It's going to be like school. Kind of."  
"Oh, that's fantastic!" Adler lit up. He loved learning.  
"What kind of stuff?" Beathen asked sceptically.  
"Just what you should be learning if you were in seventh year at Hogwarts," Hermione told them. She glanced at Fleur. "Fleur will be helping me."  
"I also have to look after ze children," Fleur explained to them, noticing their questioning looks.  
"We'll start tomorrow, okay?" Hermione gave them a small smile.  
Tamsin was about to protest, when Beathen cut across her and said, "Okay." He pulled Tamsin back into the castle. Adler and Natasha followed behind and shut the door behind them.  
"Why did you stop me?" Tamsin turned to Beathen. "I wanted to know why we're worrying about education when our family is out there finding von Rubenstein's base!"  
"Maybe they're training us to go too?" Beathen shrugged.  
"I doubt it," Adler said. "We're hardly of age."  
"We can do magic outside school," Beathen reminded him. "Kingsley said that we are of age."  
"I'll be seventeen soon," Tamsin put in. "Then I'm out of here. I want to help the Order."  
"They won't be too happy about that," Natasha said. "They didn't even tell us that they were leaving."  
"Who are _they_ exactly?" Beathen asked.  
"My parents, Tamsin's parents, Adler's parents, Harry, Ginny, Bill, Ron, George and Draco," Natasha answered promptly. "And Crabbe." She rolled her eyes.  
"That's not even half of the adults though," Adler said. "Where did everyone else go?"  
"Audrey and Angelina are scouting the Ministry, Aunt Narcissa went to check up on Scorpius and Astoria, and um, Uncle Sirius and Uncle Severus are working together on something secret," Natasha tried to remember everything.  
"Uncle Sirius and Uncle Sev are working together!?" Beathen exclaimed. "Wow, that's new. I thought they hated each other."  
"They worked with each other during the war," Adler reminded him.  
"Oh, yeah, true," Beathen said. "They still hate each other, don't they?"  
"Maybe they're like you and Ryder," Tamsin shot a look at Beathen, who didn't say anything.  
"And," Natasha continued. "Charlie went back to Romania because they had a dragon emergency and Percy, Uncle Arthur, Uncle Lucy, Mr Crabbe, and Bridget are looking into Upper Flagley."  
"Uncle Lucy," Beathen sniggered. He knew that if he called Lucius "Lucy", Lucius would have a fit.  
"What!?" Natasha grinned. "He doesn't seem to mind it!"  
"I forgot all about Upper Flagley," Tamsin admitted. "Why does Bridget get to help out?"  
"Me too," Adler said. "And I suppose it's because she's of age already."  
"How do you know all this?" Beathen asked Natasha.  
"I have connections," Natasha replied shortly, with a sly grin.  
"So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" Tamsin asked. She looked out of the window – the sun was still high above the horizon, even though it was late afternoon.  
"I don't know," Natasha said. "I don't really want to have 'fun'…" using her fingers to make the inverted commas sign in mid-air. "…when I know I should be worrying about my parents, and extended family."  
"There's not much we can do for them now though," Adler said sensibly. "They have numbers and they're trained. They'll be fine." He tried to reassure her.  
"I know," Natasha nodded. "I think I'll have a look at that Muggle contraption that Uncle Arthur left behind."  
The other three gaped at her, befuddled.  
"You're not serious, are you?" Beathen asked her.  
"No," Natasha let out a laugh, even though she really did secretly want to.  
"We want to look at it," Tamsin and Adler both admitted. That swung Natasha's vote, and they ended up doing that for the rest for the night.

* * *

_**Monday – Six Days Ago**_

They walked into an unoccupied room, after breakfast, to find that Hermione had set up the room to resemble that of a classroom. They found out that they weren't the only ones who had to attend this "school", for they were shortly joined by the younger children. As soon as they were all seated, Hermione produced some of her old books and began teaching them. Although she dabbled in furthering the rights of restrained creatures, such as house elves (in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures), and eventually took up a career in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Order approached Hermione first to teach. Percy, too, had been approached, but he knew that he wasn't teacher-material – he was also afraid of coming across as a pompous prat.

Adler, naturally, loved the idea of learning new things. He (almost) forgot that he had been feeling excluded. He loved books, and books loved him – it was a good relationship. However, he did have that nagging feeling at the back of his mind, reminding him that if he surrounded himself with his books, he would not be seen as approachable.

Natasha was indifferent to the whole learning thing. Yes, she enjoyed it, but only in small doses. She prided herself in being ambitious – a trait that she had possessed long before she was Sorted into Slytherin. She knew that what Hermione would be teaching them would help significantly when they implement their plans to go after the Order, to help them, and that was why she was still there, sat in that room, trying her best to pay attention.

Beathen was fidgety. He wanted to get the learning process over and done with, so that he could go out into the world and make a difference. Like Natasha, he stayed because he knew that what they'd learn would aid them.

Tamsin hated this. She was not against learning – if she was, she would have left before seventh year. She wanted to finish her schooling, but not like this. She was worried. She didn't want to be stuck here when her family were out there fighting. So it was when Hermione was teaching them about the Unforgivable Curses that Tamsin made an instantaneous decision and stood up.  
"I can't do this," she declared.  
"Sure you can, Tamsin," Hermione looked confused. "You're not going to be performing them. You just need to know the basics."  
"No, not the Unforgivable Curses. This," Tamsin gestured to the tables and chairs around her. "Aren't you worried about the others?"  
Fleur gave her a cautious look as she tried to keep the younger children occupied.  
"Of course I'm worried," Hermione said. "Anyone in their right mind would be."  
"Why are you so calm?" Tamsin asked, her voice almost a whisper. Hermione moved around the tables and came to stand in front of Tamsin. The others spun around in their seats to watch.  
"I'm calm, Tamsin, because I believe that my husband and my best friend can lead this group to achieve what they went to the Burrow to do. I have faith in your parents, in Mr and Mrs Malfoy, in Mr and Mrs Black and in Draco. I trust that they will come back to us safely."  
"But what if they don't?" Tamsin asked fearfully.  
"They will," Hermione said, trying to reassure Tamsin. "Come on, I want to show you something."  
Tamsin slipped out of her seat and glanced back at the other three, who had stood up as well.  
"Come on," Hermione said. Fleur watched them leave the room. Hermione took them along many corridors, corridors that they had never seen or gone down before, despite having searched the castle several times when playing hide and seek.

"Harry, Ron and I spent many months camping when we were searching for Horcruxes. We've learnt some survival skills," Hermione told them as they walked. "I know that Harry and Ron will be alright. They'll use their heads. They are brave."  
"Yeah, they're Gryffindors!" Beathen added. Hermione turned to him with a small smile.  
"Ginny, Neville and Luna took over the DA when the Death Eaters took over Hogwarts," Hermione continued. "And though Neville is still at Hogwarts, and Luna is probably still searching for uh…odd creatures, I don't think they'll have forgotten. Same goes for Ginny. She's strong, she's brave, she's smart and even better than her brothers when it comes to impulse decisions. She's quick and she'll keep everyone in line."  
"I know, but what about our parents?" Tamsin said quietly.  
"Pessimist," Adler muttered. Natasha nudged him. "Ow!"  
"That didn't hurt," Natasha whispered.  
"Yes it did," Adler retaliated. Natasha didn't respond. Hermione seemed to not have noticed the commotion.  
"Draco is quite competent. He knows what he's doing, he knows what the others are doing. And he's also very well versed in charm-work," Hermione said sincerely. "Bill and George have been in their fair share of battles, and are both extremely intelligent. If they others fall back, they will help them through. Adler, your parents – Regulus and Ginevra – they work so well together as a team. I've only known them for a short amount of time, but there cannot be one without the other. They're both intelligent, skilful and most of all, resourceful – something that no other team could rival."  
Adler beamed proudly. Hermione smiled at him.  
"Beathen, even though your uncle isn't a part of the mission, I know that he'll keep level-headed and work well with Sirius. They've tried to work out their differences, and even though sometimes, they will argue, I know for sure that they'll work together, for the sake of the Order," Hermione said. "I've known Snape since I was eleven years old – he's a great teacher, sometimes a little mean, but even more than that, he's a great man. I've gotten to know him more after he stopped teaching, and he is one of the most talented people I've ever met."  
"I know Uncle Sev will contribute heavily to what the Order is doing," Beathen said, nodding his head energetically. Natasha nodded too.  
"Where are you taking us, Hermione?" Adler suddenly asked. "We've been down this corridor already."  
"How do you know?" Beathen asked him.  
"I've seen some of the paintings before," Adler pointed behind him. Beathen turned around to have a look, but they had already walked too far for him to see what Adler was pointing to.  
Hermione waved her hand, brushing off his comment. She continued, "Natasha, Perseus and Amelinda grew up in Dark, pure-blood families, so they know nearly everything that goes on behind the scenes of a von-Rubenstein attack. They're also very skilled fighters, which I'm sure you know. I don't think you need to worry about them – they know what they're doing. And Harry needs them, that's why he asked them to come along."  
Natasha nodded. They continued to walk. Tamsin bit her lip in apprehension.

Hermione stopped walking. Adler, who was walking behind her, walked into her and almost fell to the ground. Hermione grabbed his arm and helped him up.  
"Sorry!" he said.  
"It's alright," Hermione said. "I should have warned you."  
Beathen and Natasha were trying not to laugh. Adler shot them a glare. Tamsin was still looking worried.  
"Tamsin, you should turn that frown upside down," Hermione said seriously. Beathen and Natasha couldn't control themselves any longer and burst into laughter. Adler, forgetting that the others had previously laughed at his misfortune, joined in shortly afterward. Even Tamsin cracked a small smile.  
"There we go," Hermione said. She put a hand on Tamsin's shoulder. "Tamsin, as the eldest members of the group, Darcius and Elladora have had much experience, and when it comes to combat, you know that they'll dominate any opponent."  
"I know, but what if?" Tamsin asked. "What if?"  
"Tamsin," Hermione said, a little more firmly. "We can't sit here in this castle and think 'what if?'. If we do, it'll end up controlling us, spreading like the plague. We have to be strong, we have to believe, to have faith in the mission. Can you do that for me?"  
Tamsin took a breath and nodded.  
"Good girl, no more thinking 'what if?'" Hermione said. Tamsin sighed.

Hermione led them to the end of the corridor and stopped in front of a door that was locked. Beathen's eyes widened and he nudged Natasha. She understood right away. They recognised this door.  
"This door is locked for a reason," Hermione told them. "This room contains many important artefacts and documents that the Order has collected over the past few decades. I want you to have a look through them, not only to gain an idea of what the Order are doing – for you are now old enough to know – but to have faith that the Order knows what they are doing. We have a plan."  
Adler raised an eyebrow at Tamsin, who was also staring at the door wide-eyed.  
"Alohomora," Hermione pointed her wand at the lock. It clicked, and she let them in.  
Beathen's eyes swept the room – nothing had changed since they had last been in here. The Pensieve was in the back, emitting its silver-white glow. The boxes and piles of parchment were stacked against the walls…the space on the desk that had been cleared by Natasha and himself earlier on in the week was still there. He spotted the copy of 'The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore' that he and Natasha were going through as well.  
"Feel free to have a look around," Hermione said to them. "And I encourage you to ask questions – you will learn more that way."

* * *

_**Tuesday – Five Days Ago**_

When they woke up, it was raining. Adler saw this as a sign – a sign that stood for 'bad day'. And for him, it was. He missed his alarm in the morning, and rushed downstairs to try catch the others before breakfast. Unfortunately, by the time he entered the dining room, the table had been cleared and the chairs empty. He went into the kitchen to see if there was any food that was lying about, and in his haste, hit his shin on the door frame. Limping, and cursing, he realised that there was only toast left on the bench. He detested toast. He was more of a cereal person. Sighing, he picked up a piece of buttered toast and finished it unhappily. He then proceeded to find the others, but they were not inside the castle – well, not anywhere that he had searched, anyway. And he had searched everywhere he thought that they could be – the Order's storage room, the classroom, the meeting room, their bedrooms…

He ran into Dominique Weasley as he made his way back to the Entrance Hall.  
"Hello Adler," Dominique said.  
"Dominique," Adler nodded, and tried to give her a small smile – which was hard, because he was tired and feeling extremely frustrated. She cocked her head to one side, looking at him questioningly.  
"Are you angry?" Dominique asked.  
"Yes," Adler replied.  
"So you don't really want to talk to me?" Dominique asked.  
"No, not really," Adler said. "But I've a feeling I don't have a choice."  
"You're right," Dominique bounced on her feet. "You're stuck with me now."  
"Great," Adler muttered. "Actually, maybe you could help me."  
"With what?" Dominique asked.  
"I need to find the others, you wouldn't happen to know where they are, do you?" Adler asked.  
Dominique didn't answer straight away. Adler saw this as a bad sign.  
"Yes," Dominique finally said slowly. "I do know where they are."  
"Well, where are they?" Adler asked a little impatiently.  
"You have to help me with something first," Dominique bargained.  
Adler sighed, "With what?"  
Dominique shook her head animatedly, "I can't tell you."  
"Then why should I help you?" Adler asked.  
"Because you want to find your friends," Dominique answered quickly.  
Adler sighed, "You're sure you know where they are?"  
"Yes," Dominique nodded. "I was with them."  
"Well, come on, what is it you want me to help you with?" Adler asked tersely.  
"Follow me," Dominique said, commandingly. Adler didn't think he had any choice but to follow the little blonde, for she knew where he had to go – and he didn't fancy searching the castle, again.

Dominique led him to the kitchen, and stopped in front of the kitchen sink. She pointed to the cupboard above the sink.  
"Can you reach up there?" she asked him. Adler went to stand in her position. Before he had a chance to try, Dominique concluded, "No, you can't."  
"I need to get something from up there, Adler," she told him very clearly. "And you can get it down for me."  
"How am I meant to get it if you've already decided that I can't reach?" Adler tried to refrain from rolling his eyes.  
"Using magic!" Dominique's eyes twinkled.  
Adler sighed. Dominique crossed her arms, and gave him a pout.  
"Fine," Adler said. "What do you want me to get?"  
"It's a cookie jar," Dominique whispered.  
"You want me to get a cookie jar down for you?" Adler asked loudly.  
"Ssshhhhh!" Dominique put a finger to her lips, and whispered, "Yes." She stood back.  
Adler stood on tip-toe and found that he could reach the handle of the cupboard. He pulled it open. The cookie jar was on the top shelf, right in the back corner.  
"Is it this one?" he asked Dominique.  
"Yes," she nodded her head energetically.  
Pulling out his wand, Adler swished and flicked, "Wingardium Leviosa" and brought it down.  
"Hang on a minute," he said. Dominique had already wrapped her little arms around the jar. "These are your Grandma Molly's special cookies," Adler said. "Dominique –"  
"They're in the broom shed! Thanks Adler!" Dominique shouted as she ran out of the kitchen, the cookie jar in her arms.

Dominique was right - they were in the broom shed. Adler was glad that she hadn't tricked him.  
"Why are you in the broom shed?" he asked, after watching them in silence for a few minutes.  
"There you are, Adler! Where have you been?" Hermione asked. She didn't wait for him to reply. Instead, she instructed him to read the theory behind the Unforgivable Curses because their lesson from the day before had been disrupted. It was then that he realised that everyone was present in that little broom shed. Nobody had even gone to look for him. He scowled.  
"Don't worry, you didn't miss much," Natasha wandered over and sat next to him.  
"Hmph," Adler grumbled. "Whatever."  
"Come on now, gather round, we're going to practice our Disillusionment Charms again," Hermione called them together. "I know that you should have learnt this already, I just want to see where you are, so we can advance together."  
She instructed Tamsin to go first, then Beathen, then Natasha. They all did so with precision.  
"Adler," Hermione looked at him expectantly.  
Adler blanked. As hard as he tried, he could not remember the incantation.  
"I -," Adler began, but he already saw the disappointed look on Hermione's face, and the confused faces of his friends. "I'm sorry," he said. He spun on his heel and left the broom shed.

Adler ended up walking towards the Quidditch Pitch, which was just a large field of wet, green grass, fresh from the morning's rain. His shoes were getting damp from walking in puddles, but he no longer cared. His feet were numb, but he paid them no attention for he could hardly feel them. He thought about what had happened in the little storage room the day before.  
He had scoped the room, looking for clues. Natasha and Beathen had focused on the memories and the Pensieve, while Tamsin unpacked the boxes, handling each artefact delicately. Hermione had helped her sort through piles of parchment. Occasionally, someone would ask questions, and Hermione would confirm or deny the information that they had already discovered. By afternoon, they had turned the room upside down, discovering unsettling information in the process – like the details of Fred's death in the uncensored version of the Daily Prophet after the last Wizarding War. There were details on Dobby the House Elf's life, his untimely death, and the article that Harry, Ron and Hermione had written, thanking him publicly for saving their life. They had found articles, and more importantly, the Order's notes and plans for defeating Voldemort. They had found the box of destroyed Horcruxes. Adler had shivered as he picked up the remains of Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem.  
He thought back to what Hermione had said about the current missions, and he remembered being thankful and admiring Hermione for being so open with them. And then they had been interrupted by the arrival of Percy Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Lucius Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Bridget Peverell. Vincent had been informed of Ryder's absence, but he did not seem fazed by it. If Adler had a son who went to find his mother's killer, he would be worried. Natasha had then tried to get information out of her Uncle Lucy, but he wouldn't budge. Arthur and Percy were also tight-lipped. Bridget, however, had unwittingly told them that they had found that they could not infiltrate Upper Flagley, and Percy had thought that this was strange because the town was rumoured to be free of Hector von Rubenstein.  
Adler paused. He absent-mindedly picked a branch off of a nearby tree, thinking hard – why would von Rubenstein go to great lengths to barricade a town that he had already invaded? Perhaps he had not left, perhaps he was still using the town. It had excellent resources, being a wizarding village and all.  
'Then what is he using the Burrow for?' Adler thought. 'It was in a remote area, with not many resources – of course, that could be overcome easily…unless, it was a diversion from his plan – von Rubenstein knew that the Order were after him, after all – or…it was a part of his plan all along. Adler couldn't believe he didn't think of this earlier –  
"It's a trap!" he exclaimed aloud. He ran back into the castle to inform the others.

* * *

_**Wednesday – Four Days Ago**_

They had argued. All of them – however many of them were left anyway. It had been a noisy affair which lasted long into the night, and quite frankly, Beathen was sick of it. His head was throbbing, he had had trouble sleeping, and he felt that all this worrying was unnecessary. They were in the dining room with the other Order members. He felt like things were escalating very quickly, and that no one had bothered to stop and think. To him, this was a little overwhelming. He had put his head in his arms and tried to zone himself out of the conversation.

"What do you think, Beathen?" Tamsin's voice interrupted his thoughts.  
"Hm?" Beathen lifted his head and asked sleepily, "What was the question?"  
"Do you think it's a trap?" Tamsin repeated impatiently. "Come on, Beathen, it's what we've been talking about for the past bloody twelve hours."  
"I don't know, do whatever," Beathen tried to swat her away, which was a bad move, because she lost her patience.  
"STOP BEING SO APATHETIC, BEATHEN," Tamsin shouted. "WHAT IF IT WAS YOUR PARENTS' LIVES AT RISK? " She paused, and glanced at Hermione, who was looking at her disapprovingly. Tamsin lowered her voice. "Look, Beathen. I'm sorry I yelled at you, but we need you. You're the leader in our group, you're the one who comes up with the plans. I need you." She tried not to scowl. "Ryder needs you."  
"Yes," Beathen said.  
"Huh?" Tamsin asked feeling confused.  
"I do think it's a trap," Beathen said.  
Adler, who had been in a conversation with Arthur Weasley, turned to look at his friend. "You do?" he asked.  
"Yes," Beathen replied, but he didn't explain himself.  
"Well, I don't know why you all value Prince's opinion, but this is an adult matter," Lucius Malfoy said from the other end of the table.  
"But Uncle Lucy –" Natasha began.  
"Not now, Natasha," Lucius brushed her off.  
"But –" Natasha tried to protest.  
"This is an adult matter," Lucius repeated. He glanced at Adler. "Even though it was Black who brought this to our attention."  
"Shouldn't that give him a right to stay?" Tamsin spoke up. Natasha nodded, showing her approval of Tamsin's question.  
"Absolutely not. Are you seventeen? Are you a legal adult?" Lucius shot back.  
"I am in another week," Tamsin muttered as the others shook their heads dejectedly.  
"Hermione basically initiated us into the Order by showing us the storage room and by telling us what you guys are doing," Natasha argued.  
"Something she should have discussed with the Order first," Lucius said.  
Adler rolled his eyes at Beathen, trying to convey a message to him: 'this is all a waste of time'. Beathen nodded, and jerked his head Lucius's way. Adler rolled his eyes again. Beathen motioned for Adler to follow him out of the room. They did so quietly, noticed by no one but Percy, who had been staring aimlessly at the door, wondering what his children were doing.  
"You're not old enough," Bridget Peverell decided that she had to contribute. "Which part of that sentence do you not understand? Would you like me to break it down word by word for you?"  
Natasha was about to retaliate, but Bridget didn't give her a chance to.  
"That's right, you've got nothing to say, have you, Malfoy? The tables have turned."  
"Bridget!" Tamsin shot her elder sister a warning look.  
"Tamsin, you'd best keep yourself out of this," Bridget tried to push Tamsin away.  
"This?" Natasha said coldly. "What is 'this' exactly? Come on, Bridget. Don't make a scene."  
"Yes, please, don't make a scene," Tamsin said pleadingly.  
Bridget folded her arms and hissed at Natasha, "This isn't over."  
"I had no idea it was on," Natasha said snootily. Tamsin silently thanked her. Natasha bowed her head slightly in her direction.  
"Hey, where are Adler and Beathen?" Tamsin asked.  
"They must have snuck out," Arthur Weasley said wearily. "Probably sick of you all arguing."  
"What are you talking about, Uncle Arthur?" Tamsin said. "You were arguing too."  
Arthur attempted to give her an angry look, but he ended up giving her a small smile instead.  
"You should go look for them," Lucius suggested.  
"No, but we want to stay," Natasha turned to her uncle, who was shaking his head. "Tamsin, help me!"  
"You should go," Lucius said.  
"But!" Natasha and Tamsin began protesting again. They both looked to Hermione, but she was deliberately avoiding their eye contact. Tamsin sighed, she knew that this was futile. They couldn't possibly change Lucius's mind.  
"Come on," she said quietly to Natasha, who glared at her uncle. Bridget smirked, but Natasha didn't see. Tamsin did though, and she thought this was extremely out of character for her sister.

"Wow, we went completely off topic back there," Tamsin commented as they walked out of the room. Natasha didn't bother replying.  
"Hey," Beathen greeted them. He and Adler were sitting on the ground near the door. "Did you two get kicked out?"  
"That we did," Tamsin said. "Are you eavesdropping?"  
"That we are," Adler replied, copying Tamsin's way of wording things.  
"Guys, shhh," Natasha said in a hushed voice. She pressed her ear against the door.  
"You can hear everything clearly without having to do that," Beathen informed her. Natasha sent him a death stare.  
"- teenagers! What were you thinking?"  
"That's Uncle Lucy," Natasha told the others unnecessarily.  
"They were worried!" they heard Hermione say. "It's their parents' lives at risk. It's everything they know."  
"Well, that's life, isn't it?" Lucius said harshly.  
"Just because your son failed you in the past does not mean that Beathen, Adler, Tamsin and Natasha will now," Hermione said. "They are much smarter than Draco was when he was sixteen, and you know that, Lucius."  
There was a pause. Adler raised an eyebrow at Tamsin.  
"Let's focus on what Adler has told us," Arthur suggested. Adler couldn't help but feel proud that everyone was discussing_ his_ theory. "Raise your hand if you do think that it is a trap."  
Adler looked at the others worriedly. He knew that he was right.  
"Well, that explains it then," they heard Arthur say grimly. "It seems that we are divided."  
"How about we give them a week?" Percy suggested rationally. "A week from when they left. If they're not back by Sunday, we can take further action. Besides, they said that they'd make contact after a week."  
Adler looked at Tamsin in dismay. She didn't see – she had covered her face with her hands.  
"Very well," Lucius said shortly. "A week."  
There was a scraping of chairs.  
"They're coming!" Tamsin raised her head.  
"They know we're listening," Beathen said lazily. "There's no point in moving."  
Natasha rolled her eyes, and shuffled back so that she was clear of the doorway.

Lucius emerged first. His eyes swept the area, but he walked past in silence, his robes billowing behind him. Percy and Arthur both gave them small, grim smiles as they walked past. Bridget glared at Natasha, smiled at Adler and Beathen, and had a hurried argument with Tamsin, which the others could clearly overhear.  
("Stay away from her. She's bad news."  
"What the hell is wrong with you, Bridget?"  
"Just listen to me. She'll stab you in the back.")  
Natasha had felt the need to intervene during the argument, but refrained from doing so. Part of her was amused, and wanted to see how this unfolded. However, Tamsin wrapped it up quickly and apologised to her.  
("Natasha is my friend whether you like it or not, Bridget."  
"But –"  
"You've not right to tell me what to do. Go away."  
"But –"  
"I'm being serious. Go away."  
"Fine, don't come running to me when you're hurt.")  
Adler wondered why Bridget was being so nasty about Natasha, but Beathen thought he had an idea why. However, the emergence of Hermione swept all thoughts of Bridget from their minds.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Natasha said. "I shouldn't have put you in that position."  
"It's alright," Hermione said kindly. "It was bound to come out anyway."  
"Thank you for doing this," Beathen said. "It's really very cool of you."  
Hermione gave a small laugh, "I've always wanted to be 'cool'."  
"Yes, thank you," Tamsin echoed.  
"Listen, I know you hear what they decided in there, and I want you to promise me you won't do anything rash," Hermione said. "It's going to be a long few days, but we have to be patient. Okay?"  
They glanced at each other.  
"What if –" Tamsin began.  
"Uh-uh, what did I tell you about the 'what ifs', Tamsin?" Hermione interrupted.  
Tamsin scowled, "Don't use them…"  
"That's right, we don't need negativity in our lives at the moment. We need to remain strong, and brave."  
"I forgot you were a Gryffindor," Adler muttered. Hermione ignored his comment.  
"So, please don't try anything, okay? We will wait these days out together, and when the time comes, should it come, we will get through together," Hermione said. She gave them each a hug before leaving.  
"What do we do now?" Tamsin asked the others.

* * *

_**Thursday – Three Days Ago**_

"Is it true Mum and Dad have gone to find Hector von Rubenstein?"  
Natasha awoke to find her sister, Ellen, sitting at the end of her bed.  
"Ellen, what are you doing here?" Natasha said sleepily. She sat up slowly and looked at her sister.  
"Is it true?" Ellen asked.  
"I'm afraid so."  
"Why didn't they tell me? And more importantly, why didn't you tell me?" Ellen said. Natasha noticed that her tone was accusatory.  
"You're too –" Natasha started to say.  
"That's bollocks, Natasha, I'm not too young," Ellen said angrily. "And you know that. Stop using that excuse."  
"Ellen, they want to protect us!"  
"They could have told us!" Ellen retaliated. "Why didn't they tell us?"  
"Because, like I said, they wanted to protect us," Natasha said patiently. "Von Rubenstein has done horrible things, Ellen, and they didn't want us to get involved. They wanted to handle it."  
"And are they handling it?" Ellen asked, a little sceptically.  
"I'm afraid not," Natasha said with a sigh.  
"What?"  
"Adler thinks that they walked into a trap," Natasha told her sister.  
"And did they?" Ellen asked. Natasha raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Sorry," Ellen said sarcastically.  
"We don't know," Natasha said. "Percy Weasley says that we've got to wait until Sunday."  
"Why?" Ellen asked.  
"Gee, aren't you a nosy one this morning?" Natasha propped her pillow against the bedframe, and leant back.  
"This is what happens when I am left out of the loop," Ellen said.  
"Well, I'll keep that in mind for next time," Natasha rolled her eyes.  
"Will you let me know what happens on Sunday?" Ellen asked.  
"If you ask me nicely," Natasha said.  
"Please?"  
"Well, I don't know, I have to think about it," Natasha cracked a smile. "I mean, you did use the magic word, after all."  
Ellen did not look amused, so Natasha pulled the pillow out from behind her and hit her sister with it.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, Tamsin and Bridget were having another argument.  
"I don't want you hanging out with her," Bridget said forcefully.  
"Since when do you care who I hang out with?" Tamsin said, just as forcefully, back. "We've been here for weeks, and I've not heard a word from you until now."  
"What can I say?" Bridget said drily. "I tried."  
"You tried what exactly?" Tamsin asked angrily.  
"I tried to forget what she did to me, I tried to start anew," Bridget admitted.  
"If you're talking about Kevin, just drop it. It was so two years ago," Tamsin said.  
"I will not drop it," Bridget said. "I thought she was my friend."  
"And she probably was," Tamsin said. "But since you're being such a bitch to her, I wouldn't be surprised if she stopped."  
"Hah," Bridget scoffed. "Me? The bitch? Try telling that to your _friend_, Natasha."  
Tamsin rolled her eyes, "This is ridiculous, Bridget. Just let it go."  
"No, you know what's ridiculous, Tamsin," Bridget said vehemently. "Malfoy did not even apologise."  
"It wasn't her fault, she has nothing to apologise for," Tamsin said. "You should be blaming Kevin, out of all people."  
"So you're on her side? Well, thanks sis," Bridget said bitterly.  
"There are no sides. This is not a war."  
"Unfriendly spells have not been exchanged yet, but it's only a matter of time," Bridget said.  
"Enough! I refuse to talk about this any longer," Tamsin cried. "Get over it!"  
"I will not get over it, Tamsin. He was important to me! I thought he really liked me. I know for sure that I liked him."  
Tamsin sighed, "Do you maybe think he dropped you because you acted like this?"  
"How dare you!"  
"Besides, you can't blame Natasha, because she wasn't even interested in Kevin. He wanted to be her friend, to get into her inner circle, and he may or may not have been interested in her. She had nothing to do with it."  
"Whatever, I still hold her responsible."  
"You're so bitter."  
"You're so naïve. She'll do to you exactly what she did to me."  
Tamsin sighed. She knew that Bridget was stubborn and held grudges for a long time, but she wished that her sister would get over this.

"Do you sometimes miss everyone back at Hogwarts?" Beathen asked randomly as he and Adler ate their breakfast – toast for Beathen, pancakes for Adler.  
"I suppose," Adler replied. He poured more maple syrup onto his pancakes.  
"I wonder what they're all up to," Beathen said. "I miss commentating Quidditch."  
"I forgot you used to do that," Adler said. "That was fun to listen to."  
"Did you go to all the Quidditch matches?"  
"Some," Adler admitted. "I like the sport, but I'm not entirely into it, like some people are."  
"Yes, well, the atmosphere at Quidditch matches is great," Beathen said.  
"I wonder if anyone remembers us," Adler said thoughtfully. He doubted anyone remembered him.  
"They had better!" Beathen said. "We've been gone only a month…or two…I've lost count."  
"It has nearly been two months," Adler said. "We're nearing the end of October - Tamsin's birthday."  
Beathen chuckled, "How do you remember these things?"  
Adler shrugged.  
"I think what I miss most is the castle," Beathen said. "Hogwarts."  
"We live in a castle now," Adler pointed out.  
"But it's not the same."  
"No, it's not," Adler agreed. "Hogwarts felt like home. It was safe, and warm, and we didn't have anything to worry about."  
"Except exams, and nasty Slytherins," Beathen added.  
"I didn't worry about exams," Adler said.  
"Of course you didn't."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Just that you're smart, that's all," Beathen said hastily.  
"Okay," Adler continued. "And here, this castle, we are not safe. It isn't warm, and I feel I have aged these last two months because we have been worrying so much!"  
"Don't worry, old chap," Beathen clapped him on the back.  
"Not making me feel any better," Adler said. Beathen laughed at him.

* * *

They hadn't planned to do much that day. They just lazed about in the castle, trying to think of anything but their parents. They helped Fleur look after the children, playing with them, keeping them entertained and distracted, for it was their parents too who had gone on the mission.

In the afternoon, Severus Snape, who had only returned to the castle five minutes ago, interrupted them and requested a meeting with Beathen, who looked extremely confused as to why his uncle wanted to urgently see him. He supposed Uncle Sev has heard about what Hermione had done, and wanted to scold him for it or something. Beathen knew Uncle Sev didn't like it when underaged wizards got involved in anything that was meant to be for adults.  
"I assume Hermione told you everything?" Severus said.  
"Yes, well, nearly everything," Beathen replied.  
"Good," Severus nodded once. "Now you are involved with the Order, I can tell you this."  
"What is it, Uncle Sev?"  
"Black and I have been looking for Bellatrix Lestrange," Severus revealed.  
"You have?" Beathen asked in shock. He felt fury boiling up inside of him – he really hated that woman.  
"We have not been successful in finding her yet," Severus said. "But we will find her."  
"Why are you telling me this, Uncle Sev?"  
"Because you have every right to know," Severus replied.  
"Thank you," Beathen said.  
"Also, we have been keeping tabs on your father," Severus continued.  
"You have?"  
"He is well. The Muggles are treating him well," Severus said.  
"I…I don't know what to say," Beathen said. "Thank you, Uncle Sev, for…for trusting me with that information."  
"You deserve to know," Severus repeated.

* * *

_**Friday – Two Days Ago**_

'_Dear Gabby,  
__I know you're off at your fancy school, learning about all things drama. I also know you're having the time of your life – you couldn't stop smiling when you got the letter from The Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts, I remember. I just wanted to say that I haven't talked to you in a while, and it would be really nice of us to catch up, but you know, we're in the middle of a war now, so that isn't very possible. I hope you're well, and safe, and I hope we see each other soon. I miss you.  
__Love Tamsin.'_

Tamsin read over the letter she had written for her best friend, Gabby Granger. She would ask Natasha to borrow her owl later, but for now, she rolled up the parchment and put it to the side of her desk. She looked out of the window that her desk was situated under and into the sky, which was a lovely baby blue. There were no clouds, and the sun had risen an hour or so ago. Considering it was now almost autumn, Tamsin knew they were fortunate to have such nice weather. The winter would soon come, and along with it, she knew, lots of rain, snow and cold days and nights. She decided to go outside to soak up some sunshine.

Adler, meanwhile, was sitting with Arthur Weasley, and they were talking about the Muggle object that Arthur had brought to the castle.  
"I believe it is called a…" Arthur said, scrunching up his face in concentration as he tried to remember the name. "Ah! A tee-vee."  
"A tee-vee?" Adler asked uncertainly.  
"Yes, Muggles use it to play moving images!" Arthur said excitedly.  
"So it's like a portrait? Or a photograph?" Adler asked, confused.  
"Yes, and no," Arthur said patiently. "It is more like a portrait…the moving images make noises, but uh…"  
"Muggles use it to watch certain things, like drama and sports," Hermione walked into the room and joined the conversation. "Do you think we can plug it in here, Mr Weasley?"  
"I believe so!" Arthur stood up and pulled the cord from the back of the television set. "This used to be an old Muggle castle, you know," he told Adler. "And in more recent times, they've added these eclectricity sockets."  
"Electrical sockets," Hermione corrected him quietly. "Do you think the magic in the air will interfere with it?"  
"Well, let's have a try, and we'll see," Arthur nodded.  
Adler stood back and stared at the object.

Beathen made his way down to the kitchen, intending to sneak out some food because he didn't have a very filling breakfast. He was about to walk into the pantry when he saw Natasha and Ellen sitting on the bench, just watching him. Natasha looked like she was about to start laughing.  
"What are you doing here?" Beathen asked.  
"Just getting some peace and quiet," Natasha replied. "Definitely not eating or anything…"  
Ellen scoffed as she hid a bowl of ice-cream behind her back. She and Natasha could not resist the temptation. Arthur had bought some from Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, and Molly had specifically told them that it was their dessert for that night. However, Ellen really wanted ice-cream, and had persuaded her sister to accompany her to the kitchens. It didn't take much persuading, as Natasha too wanted some ice-cream.  
"Of course not," Beathen said. "Is it noisy up there?"  
"Have you got your ears checked lately?" Natasha asked. "It's chaotic! The kids are playing chasey again."  
"Of course they are," Beathen sighed. He went into the pantry and grabbed a jar of cookies (not Grandma Molly's special ones though – they were pretty sure Dominique and Roxanne ate all of those). "Bridget really dislikes you," Beathen told Natasha.  
"I know," Natasha said.  
"Why?" Ellen asked, her mouth full of ice-cream.  
Natasha chucked a napkin to her sister. "You remember the Kevin Marshall-thing?"  
"Ohhhh," Ellen said. She had another spoonful of ice-cream.  
"I don't know what I did though," Natasha said thoughtfully. "If anyone was to blame, it's Marshall. But no, Bridget thinks Marshall's perfect and I'm the bad-guy here."  
"To be fair, you're in Slytherin, and that already equals bad news," Ellen piped up. Natasha glared at her sister, who just smiled at her.  
"What happened exactly?" Beathen asked, taking a cookie out of the jar.  
"Well, when we were in fifth year, I got really close to Bridget because I did Advanced Potions, and I was in her class," Natasha started.  
"Nerd," Ellen coughed.  
"Shut up, you're in Ravenclaw, you can't talk," Natasha shot at her sister. Ellen laughed. "Anyway, she started going out with Kevin Marshall, who was also in our class, and because I was close to Bridget, I talked to him too."  
"Did she have a problem with that or something?" Beathen interrupted.  
"Not really," Natasha shrugged. "It was when Marshall started seeking me out outside of class that she really got um…clingy…"  
"I remember that," Ellen said. "She watched the Portrait Hole every night waiting for Kevin to come back. And, on Natasha's orders, I tried talking to her about it, but she wouldn't say anything."  
"No one wants to talk to a First-Year," Natasha shrugged. "I suppose that's understandable."  
"Hey, they were your orders," Ellen chucked her used-napkin at her sister.  
"Anyway," Natasha said loudly. "I guess Bridget got jealous that Marshall was trying to spend time with me and my group of friends, and that's why she hates me."  
"She needs to get over it," Ellen said loyally.  
"To be honest, I got annoyed at Marshall too. He was getting as clingy as Bridget," she shivered. "Which is funny…because he told us that he broke up with her for being too clingy."  
"Bridget shouldn't really be blaming you," Beathen said. "You didn't do anything."  
"I know," Natasha shrugged. "Whatever, it's her problem, not mine."  
"That's the spirit," Ellen said as she scraped the bottom of her bowl with her spoon. "Can I have more ice-cream?"  
"No!" Natasha said. "Aunt Molly will know."  
Beathen laughed.

* * *

"Orchideus!"  
Tamsin stirred as she heard someone approaching. She must have fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered was laying down in the semi-shade of the beech tree.  
"Morning, sunshine," Natasha sat down next to her.  
"What time is it?" Tamsin asked.  
"Half three in the afternoon," Natasha replied. "Flowers?" she held them out to her.  
"Why do you have flowers?" Tamsin asked.  
Natasha shrugged, "I was practicing that spell."  
Tamsin sat up, "We have to do something, Natasha. I'm sick of sitting around doing nothing!"  
"I know," Natasha pat her on the arm. "But Hermione said to be patient."  
"What does Hermione know? Her parents aren't missing."  
"But she's been through this before," Natasha said rationally.  
"Since when do you listen to authority, anyway?" Tamsin asked. "You break more rules than Beathen does."  
"Desperate times calls for desperate measures," Natasha said shortly. "I believe Hermione knows what she's talking about, so I'm going to listen to her."  
Tamsin sighed.  
"Cheer up, Sunday is right around the corner," Natasha said.  
"I just hope they're okay," Tamsin said quietly.  
"I know," Natasha hugged her. "Me too."

* * *

_**Saturday – One Day Ago**_

It was a horrible Saturday. According to Beathen anyway. He had spent his morning listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network, which told him very little. Actually, he probably knew more about what was going on than the people who reported the news for the WWN. He turned it off disappointedly, and wandered the castle. Tamsin and Natasha had wanted to have a picnic outside, and many of the younger children joined them. Adler had said he was busy with a book he had found in the library. He had offered to share it with Beathen (but only after he had finished reading it), but Beathen had declined upon flipping through it (it wasn't even a book, it was a play. A play written in a language that Beathen could recognise, but did not understand). Adler had then said that Shakespeare was a renowned poet and playwright in his time, but Beathen didn't really care for Muggle books (or plays) such as this one. So he left the library, and had lunch with James and Albus Potter (James had insisted on making Marmite sandwiches for them). The two of them then badgered him to make lemonade for them, so Beathen, having nothing better to do, agreed to do so.

* * *

_**Sunday – 7 Hours Ago**_

Tamsin looked outside. The sun, which had been present the day before, was not there. Instead, it was dark, dreary, and though Tamsin was not a weatherwoman, she could tell that the day's forecast consisted of rain, rain and more rain. She sighed. Rain meant that they were confined to the castle. Rain meant that Adler would be cooped up in the library – he had told them that his goal was to read all the books in the library. Rain meant that Beathen would pace the hallways of the castle, practicing spells on various items. Rain meant that Natasha would be hiding in her room, sleeping. Rain meant that the children would all be restless (they were sick of playing chasey. Hermione had suggested they bring in some Muggle games to play – for Arthur was unsuccessful in installing the television set). Rain meant that she, Tamsin, would be stuck under the same roof as her sister. Rain meant that she would be bored, and when she was bored, her mind drifted and she constantly found herself worrying about her parents, and all those who had gone on the mission.

At midday, she stormed into Natasha's room.  
"What's the matter?" Natasha squinted at her sleepily. She rubbed her eyes.  
"Get up," Tamsin ordered.  
"Why?" Natasha yawned.  
"Because it's midday," Tamsin replied shortly.  
"And?"  
"Well…there's something you need to see," Tamsin said. Natasha looked at her, waiting for more information, but Tamsin didn't say anything.  
"What exactly do I –" Natasha was interrupted by a loud bang that came from the floor below. "What was that?"  
Tamsin scrunched her face up. "That's what you need to see."  
Natasha sighed and got out of bed. "Let's go."  
"What, in your pyjamas?" Tamsin asked.  
"Yeah, why not?" Natasha shrugged. "I don't see a problem with it." She looked pointedly at Tamsin, who caved.  
"Okay, whatever, let's go," she said.

Five minutes later, they arrived in the kitchens.  
"What a mess!" Natasha exclaimed. "What happened?"  
"Miss Natasha, it was _not_ Abra's doing," Abra the house elf came forward and stated vehemently.  
Kreacher, Adler's house elf, hobbled forward and said, "Well, it was certainly not Kreacher."  
"Something must have happened," Natasha said as she looked at the pots and pans scattered across the room. Flour covered the bench tops, and the bottle of vanilla essence had been tipped over, causing it to spill onto the floor. Tamsin hurried forward to put it upright again.  
"Abra saw the Prince boy in here earlier," Abra told Natasha.  
Kreacher nodded, "Along with Mr Adler."  
Natasha looked to Tamsin, who shrugged and said, "That's news."  
"What are you doing here, Abra?" Natasha asked.  
"Miss Ellen called for Abra, Miss," Abra replied. "Miss Ellen has forbidden Abra to talk about it."  
"Why?" – Natasha had not meant to ask it, it just slipped from her mouth.  
"Abra must not speak, or else Abra must punish herself," Abra looked down at the ground. "Miss Natasha must understand."  
"Okay, I'm sorry, I understand," Natasha bent down to look at her house elf. "Go do what you have to do."  
"Yes, Miss," Abra nodded and trotted out of the kitchen, Kreacher following closely behind her.  
"I wonder what's going on," Natasha stood up and said to Tamsin.  
"Sshhh," Tamsin put up a hand to silence Natasha.  
"What is it?" Natasha whispered.  
"I hear voices."  
They edged around the kitchen bench, and poked their heads round the corner (they had never been this way, as they had never needed to enter the storage area).  
"What are you doing here?" Tamsin asked in surprise.  
Beathen and Adler were sat on boxes eating a piece of a cake each.  
"We are…uh…eating," Adler said, holding out his plate.  
"We can see that," Natasha raised an eyebrow.  
"Where's our cake?" Tamsin asked as she sat down next to Beathen.  
"Sorry, none left," Beathen replied.  
"There were loud bangs coming from here…" Tamsin said. "What happened?"  
"That uh…that would be the cake," Adler replied, a little hesitantly.  
Natasha looked at them curiously, "Did you…_bake_ that?"  
The two boys looked at her, startled, before they started laughing.  
"Oh my god, you totally did," she concluded. "You baked the cake. That's why there's a mess in the kitchen!"  
"Aunt Molly is going to kill you!" Tamsin said in a sing-song voice.  
"We were going to clean it up -," Beathen began.  
"But then we forgot," Adler finished the sentence.  
"And ate the whole cake," Tamsin rolled her eyes.  
"We're hungry!" Beathen defended himself.  
"Who's hungry?" came a voice at the entrance to the storage room.  
"Uh-oh," Adler looked at Beathen.  
Molly Weasley came into sight.  
"Hi Aunt Molly," Beathen said, his face filled with guilt.  
"Nobody is having any more food until my kitchen is spotless!" Molly said to them. "No magic. Give me your wands. All of you, come on."  
"But Aunt Molly, Natasha and I didn't make that mess!" Tamsin protested.  
"Does it matter?" Molly held out her hand.  
"Ugh," Tamsin sighed and handed her wand over to her aunt. The two boys did so without a word.  
Natasha didn't move.  
"Come on, Natasha," Tamsin said to her.  
"Yes, come on, you don't have all day," Molly said briskly. "Why do you still have your pyjamas on, Natasha? Go and change right away."  
Natasha sighed, "Alright."  
She didn't hand her wand in, but instead walked off in the direction of the kitchens, and from there, towards the bedrooms.  
"Now, you three," Molly eyed them all. "Clean."

Natasha didn't go to her room. Instead, she marched straight to Ellen's bedroom.  
"What are you up to?" Natasha demanded as she pushed the door open. Her sister was not in there. Natasha scowled. Then she recalled that Ellen had said something about playing the piano, though she was unsure of when this was. She made her way to the room that contained all the musical instruments.  
"There you are!" she exclaimed. Ellen looked up from the piano, frowning.  
"What?"  
"Why did you call for Abra?" Natasha asked, sitting down next to her sister, and pushing her across the piano bench.  
"I didn't," Ellen said, almost automatically. She looked at her sister a bit fearfully.  
"Don't lie to me, Ellen," Natasha said. "Come on, out with it."  
"IsentAbratogofindmumanddad," Ellen said quickly.  
"You what?" Natasha inhaled.  
"You heard me," Ellen said pointedly. "I'm not repeating myself."  
"You sent Abra to find mum and dad…" Natasha said. "Did she succeed?"  
"Yes."  
"And?"  
"And Adler was right," Ellen sighed. "They've been captured."

Back in the kitchen, the clean-up wasn't going as well as Molly had hoped.  
"Um, Aunt Molly, where does the soap go?" Tamsin scooped up a bar of soap from the ground near a pile of saucepans.  
"The sink, Tamsin! Where else would the soap go?" Aunt Molly ran a hand through her hair.  
"Sorry!" Adler exclaimed in a panic as he knocked over a pile of plates that Beathen had been stacking. He reached into his top pocket, where his wand was usually stored, but then remembered that Aunt Molly had taken it off him. "How am I to repair this without a wand!?" he asked exasperatedly.  
"It's okay," Beathen said. He started a new pile with the remaining plates. "Just grab a broom and we can sweep it up or something."  
"How did you guys make this much of a mess anyway?" Tamsin asked from where she was tightening the lids on the jars.  
"The cake exploded the first time," Adler said. "And the kids came in the second time…"  
"And the third time, the house elves interrupted us," Beathen added.  
Tamsin looked at them, "Are you serious?"  
Adler shrugged, and Beathen said matter-of-factly, "It could have been worse."  
"Okay, that's enough!" Aunt Molly interrupted their conversation. She held out their wands for them.  
"Um, Aunt Molly…?" Beathen drifted off, unsure of what to do.  
"Go," Aunt Molly said briskly. "I have to clean."  
"But –" Tamsin began.  
"It's alright, I can do it," Aunt Molly said as she waved her wand towards the dirty dishes.  
They saw no point in arguing, so they left in silence.

Natasha turned to look at her sister, "They've been captured!? Are they alright?"  
"Abra couldn't get in to see them –" Ellen began.  
"Why?" Natasha interrupted. "Abra's an elf. She can do anything."  
"She could penetrate the Burrow's ward boundary, but there was an inner layer. I think only wizards could remove that. Not house elves," Ellen explained.  
"Oh, okay," Natasha nodded. "Go on."  
"Abra says that she knew that they were there because there are guards outside what she assumes to be the prison cells."  
"The Burrow doesn't have prison cells," Natasha said  
"Abra told me they were being kept in the broom shed. But it's guarded, but apparently not well."  
"That's horrible, and much less extravagant. I think I'd prefer the prison cell."  
"Me too," Ellen agreed. "Anyway, they're okay, but obviously, they can't escape."  
Natasha didn't say anything.  
"Are you mad at me?" Ellen finally asked.  
"No," Natasha said. "It was a good idea." She smiled at her sister.  
"Why are you smiling?" Ellen asked her in horror. "Our parents are captured!"  
"Because I have such an intelligent sister," Natasha said. "But I'm smarter." Ellen rolled her eyes. Natasha continued, "And we're going to rescue them!"  
"Oh yeah, like the Order's going to allow you to do that," Ellen rolled her eyes again.  
"Never say never, Ellen," Natasha winked as she stood up. "Thank you."  
"Um, you're welcome," Ellen shrugged. "It was no big deal."  
She turned back towards the piano as Natasha left the room in search of the others.

Natasha found them sitting at the double doors that was situated in the Entrance Hall. The doors were open, letting in the chilly air from outside. It was still raining.  
"Guys, they're not coming," Natasha told them.  
Tamsin turned around, wide-eyed, "What?"  
"Ellen told me that they're being held prisoner at the Burrow," Natasha explained.  
"How does she know that?" Beathen asked.  
"She sent Abra to find out."  
"One question," Adler said.  
"Yes, Adler?"  
"Where would they be held prisoner? It's not like the Burrow had a secret dungeon or anything…" he snorted.  
Natasha let out a giggle, even though the situation was very serious. "They are, apparently, being held in the broom shed."  
"Oh my god," Tamsin said. "Poor mother. She always hated brooms."  
"So what do we do now?" Beathen asked Natasha.  
"I suppose we have to take this to Uncle Lucy, and then we can go rescue them!"  
"That's the plan?" Adler asked incredulously. "A rescue mission."  
"It's not like they can rescue themselves," Tamsin stepped in, in support of Natasha. "They're locked in a broom shed for god's sake."  
"Do you have a better plan?" Beathen asked.  
"No," Adler mumbled.  
"Okay, so the meeting should be –" Natasha stopped. She had just turned around, and standing in the doorway was Audrey Weasley, Percy's wife. She was white-faced, completely soaked, and trembling from head to toe. One minute she was there, the next she was –  
"Audrey!" Natasha exclaimed as she saw Audrey collapse into a heap in the doorway. "Tamsin, go get help."

* * *

_**A/N:** Wow. That was a long chapter! I totally understand if you don't remember what happened during the chapter, so here's a recap of all things important:_

_- The Beathen/Ryder friendship has now become public. Though Ryder doesn't really know about it, because he flew off after the Order members. We can assume he's been captured as well :)._

_- Hermione basically initiated them into the Order by showing them things in the storage room (that they had already been in). Lucius, of course, was not happy about that. But Hermione put him straight._

_- Adler discovered that the Burrow was a trap (because Bridget Peverell had let slip that Upper Flagley was heavily guarded), but the Order members who remained at the castle were uncertain. They decided to wait a week._

_- Previously, I mentioned that Bridget had a loathing for Natasha - and we finally find out why! Bridget was seeing Kevin, who found her clingy, and preferred a friendship with the Slytherins (incidentally, Natasha found him clingy too). So Bridget was bitter and needed someone to blame - that person was Natasha._

_- Ellen Malfoy found out about her parents going after Hector von Rubenstein, and Natasha decided that her sister was trustworthy enough, so she told her all the details. Ellen then called on Abra (their house elf) to find out what was really going on at The Burrow (which was a smart idea, because house elf magic is completely different to that of wizarding magic - though it does have its limits). Abra came back to report that the Order members had indeed been captured, and imprisoned (in a broom shed). Natasha decided that they were going to rescue them._

_- Severus Snape told Beathen (his nephew) that he and Sirius had been looking for Bellatrix Lestrange, but had not been successful in finding her yet. Furthermore, they have also been keeping tabs on Beathen's father, who is well._

_- If you've forgotten, Gabby Granger is Tamsin' best friend. And she, as stated in the letter that Tamsin wrote, attends the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts._

_- If you're wondering which Shakespeare book/play Adler was reading, I decided it was Hamlet :). It was something that Adler would probably pick up and find interesting, but Beathen would not (for Hamley was more of a thinker than a doer)._

_- And right at the end, Audrey Weasley appeared out of nowhere and collapsed in the doorway! What happened to her? And where was Angelina Johnson-Weasley? (If you recall earlier on in the chapter, they went to scout the ministry together)._

* * *

__Until next time, y'all. I'll try to get chapter eight up as soon as I write it...and it will most definitely be shorter than this chapter. I don't think I'll ever be able to top this :P haha. Thanks for reading :) x

* * *

**Disclaimer: **What you recognise, J.K. Rowling owns. What you don't, my friends and I do. Oh, and the "it's a trap" quote, I'm pretty sure that's from Star Wars :)


	8. The Coded Message

**A/N:** Sorry it took me so long to upload :( I had writer's block…but then the other day, it cleared and I just wrote like crazy. So here's another chapter. It's shorter than the previous one (obviously), and it's basically a filler, but…I promise you some action in the next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Coded Message**

…_standing in the doorway was Audrey Weasley, Percy's wife. She was white-faced, completely soaked, and trembling from head to toe. One minute she was there, the next she was –  
_"_Audrey!" Natasha exclaimed as she saw Audrey collapse into a heap in the doorway. "Tamsin, go get help."_

* * *

Percy Weasley rushed to his wife's side. Tamsin was right behind him.  
"Audrey," he said her name as he tried to wake her by shaking her gently. "Audrey, wake up."  
He felt her forehead, and then her pulse.  
"What happened?" Percy looked to the four of them.  
"She just appeared out of nowhere," Natasha told him. "At the door."  
"Did she say anything?"  
"No," Beathen answered. "She just fainted."  
Percy conjured up some blankets and draped them over Audrey, whose lips had turned blue. They heard a gasp. Hermione was standing behind Natasha. Nobody said anything as Hermione's eyes swept the room, examining the situation.  
"Close those doors," she put a hand on Beathen's shoulder and told him quietly. Beathen, who had been kneeling beside Percy, stood up and did as he was told.  
"We should take her to see Uncle Severus," Adler told Percy. "He can probably brew a potion that will make her feel better."  
"He's our best hope at the moment," Tamsin added. "Since my mum isn't here to take a look at her. She used to be a Healer."  
Percy nodded in agreement. He let Beathen and Adler levitate Audrey and he allowed them to take her to the living room, where they placed her gently on the sofa. Natasha and Tamsin followed them in, but at a slower pace, for they were eavesdropping in Percy's conversation with Hermione.  
"Severus will be able to help her," Hermione said reassuringly.  
"It is not the physical pain that I am worried about," Percy told her worriedly. "She's tough. She went through Auror training."  
"You're afraid she's been affected mentally?"  
Percy nodded, "By whom, or what, I do not know."  
He knelt beside his wife and stroked her head. Tamsin bit her lip, and sat down on the sturdy-looking coffee table. Natasha paced the room, occasionally glancing at Audrey apprehensively. Adler leant against the wall, at the end of the couch that Audrey was laying on. Beathen had gone to let his uncle know that he was needed.

"Um, where's Angelina?" Adler asked.  
Natasha looked around, expecting Angelina Johnson-Weasley to be in the room with them. Of course, since Audrey had shown up alone, Angelina was not there.  
"Oh god, I hope nothing bad has happened to her," Tamsin whispered in a hushed voice.  
"You have really taken over Adler's job of being a pessimist," Natasha told her.  
"I''m sorry, I can't help it," Tamsin shot back.  
"Move, let me see her," Severus Snape entered the room. They all stood back. He pulled out his wand, but did not use it. Instead, he inspected her body, feeling her clammy forehead, and checking her pulse, as Percy had done.  
"Well, I'm not a Healer, but my opinion is that she will need a potion of regeneration, which I will brew," Severus looked at Percy, who nodded. "For now, she must rest. I cannot perform Leglimency on her until she is fully awake."  
"She is a trained Occlumens," Percy told Severus.  
"Yes, but she will be in a fragile state," Severus explained. "I will be able to break the barrier, and then we will have some answers."  
"Thank you, Severus," Percy said. "I'll take her to the bedroom now."  
As soon as Percy left, Hermione turned to Severus. "Angelina hasn't returned."  
"Neither have our parents," Beathen blurted out. "But Natasha says that they've been captured."  
Uncle Sev turned to look at Natasha, who returned his gaze trying not to feel too intimidated – she had to keep reminding herself that he was Beathen's uncle and she should not be scared of him.  
"We need a meeting with the other Order members," he finally said. "Go call the others. We will convene in the meeting room in ten minutes."

Twenty minutes later (for they had some trouble getting a hold of Narcissa Malfoy, who had been asleep in the drawing room – she had just returned from her trip to the Greengrass Manor, where she had been visiting her grandson and daughter-in-law), they were all seated in the meeting room. Tamsin glanced at the others, who were all trying to avoid eye contact with Lucius Malfoy. She didn't look at him either, but could feel his grey eyes resting upon her. Arthur Weasley cleared his throat, and everyone in the room turned their attention to him.  
"We've made a mess for ourselves, haven't we?"  
A few people nodded. Adler was one of them.  
"We should not have let so many groups go at once. Eet was too dangerous," Fleur said, shaking her head sadly. "We should not have sent all of our biggest Aurors into a trap."  
"We didn't know it was a trap, Fleur," Percy pat his sister-in-law's arm gently. She shook her head again.  
"We mustn't dwell on our regrets," Hermione said wisely. "If anything, we need to fix this."  
"What do you suggest, Hermione?" Arthur looked at his daughter-in-law fondly.  
Hermione glanced at Lucius, who was watching her with an annoyed expression plastered on his face, before speaking. "The Malfoy's house-elf, Abra, has confirmed our suspicions that the mission that Harry was leading has been intercepted."  
"You suspected that?" Tamsin blurted out. Everyone stared at her. "Sorry. It's just…if you suspected it, why didn't you act on it sooner?"  
"Harry's orders," Hermione shrugged. Lucius scoffed.  
Narcissa nudged her husband and gave him a warning look. He leant back and crossed his arms.  
"Anyway," Hermione continued. "They have been captured, so we will probably need to send a rescue team. Abra has told me that the security is minimum, but we can't be too slack – they might be waiting for us."  
"What about Audrey and Angelina's mission?" Percy asked.  
Hermione looked at him grimly, "We have no information regarding that particular mission yet. All I know is that Kingsley Shacklebolt told them to scout the Ministry, and Audrey's return is the first we've seen or heard from them in a week."  
"Once she's awoken, Severus will perform Leglimency on her to find out what went on," Percy informed them.  
Severus nodded curtly, "Until then, there is not much we can do. Unless we risk sending in some more people to find out what happened at the Ministry."  
He looked around at them all. Nobody volunteered.  
"Um, Hermione, could you possibly send one of those Patronus messages to the Order members stuck in the broom shed at the Burrow?" Bridget spoke up.  
"Hm, that's a brilliant question, Bridget," Hermione said.  
Both Tamsin and Natasha rolled their eyes as Bridget sat up straighter in her chair proudly.  
"That is something we will need to discuss as a team," Hermione said. "Now, back to this rescue mission –"  
She was interrupted by Percy clearing his throat. Molly Weasley gave her son a weary look.  
"As important as this rescue mission is, I think I should have a look at the Ministry," Percy said. His ears were bright red. Beathen noticed them.  
"Do you think that's wise?" Vincent Crabbe leant forward to look at Percy.  
"It'll be just like going to work. I do work there, you know," Percy said.  
"So did Angelina," Sirius Black brought up.  
"The Ministry was damaged by a fire," Adler mentioned quietly. Nobody heard him.  
"They know that you're with the Order," Vincent said.  
"I'll deny it," Percy said, getting redder and redder with every word he said. "I'll say that after last time, you didn't let me join."  
"Then why were you poking your nose around Upper Flagley with four other Order members?" Lucius asked.  
"What about your wife?" Natasha spoke up.  
Percy slumped back in his chair, feeling defeated.  
"Percy dear, we don't want you risking your life," Molly said from the other side of the table. "Think of your children."  
Slowly, Percy nodded.  
"Good man, Perce," Sirius slapped him on the back. Fleur gave him a very small smile.

The conversation died for about a minute or so. Lucius was the one to break it.  
"Natasha, go get me some parchment, a quill and some ink," he ordered.  
Natasha sighed, "Yes, Uncle Lucy." Beathen sniggered quietly. Natasha scraped her chair against the ground as she stood up and went to the set of drawers situated near the door. After getting the items, she gave them to her uncle and sat back down without saying a word.  
Five more minutes passed.  
"What are you doing?" Sirius leaned over Arthur to have a look at what Lucius was up to.  
"Writing," Lucius answered.  
"Writing what?" Sirius asked  
"What we're going to say to Potter and his team in our Patronus message," Lucius refrained from rolling his eyes. They all noticed Bridget sitting up straighter still, a smug look on her face.  
"Can't we just say what we need them to hear?" Fleur asked, looking around the table. Adler and Beathen were sitting at the end of the table playing Wizard's Chess as they listened to the conversation. Fleur's eyes rested on Adler's queen.  
"Someone from, you know, the other side, might overhear the message," Hermione said. "We need to write it in code. But a code that Harry and his team will understand."  
"Which is the difficult part," Lucius added.  
"Should we try to reach Ryder?" Beathen asked suddenly. Vincent shifted in his chair uncomfortably, but nodded in agreement to Beathen's question.  
"Maybe he's with Harry. He'll be safe if he's with Harry," Hermione said positively.  
"I 'ope so," Fleur said.  
"Okay, now let's put our heads together to write this message, and as soon as that has been sent, we'll talk about the rescue," Arthur took the lead.  
Natasha glanced at Adler, and caught his eye. He knew what she was thinking, but he shook his head and mouthed, "After". She frowned, but didn't say anything.  
It was hard to write a message when there were fifteen people in one room yelling out different ideas on top of each other. However, in the end, after two hours, they finally agreed on this message:  
'WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU'RE CAUGHT IN DEVIL'S SNARE? KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOLT'S WORDS OF WARNING AT BILL AND FLEUR'S WEDDING NOW APPLIES, IN REGARDS TO US. THE CLOCK'S HANDS WILL ALL POINT TO HOME SOON.'

They all elected Hermione to send the Patronus message, as they all knew that Harry and his team would recognise her otter, and her voice. She left the room to deliver the message. Narcissa yawned.  
"So…can we talk about this rescue mission now?" Natasha said casually, not looking at anyone in particular.  
Molly sighed as Arthur said, "I suppose we'll have to now."  
"Assuming Harry and his team are stuck in the broomshed," Percy spoke up.  
"Which they are," Natasha muttered under her breath.  
"And they can't get out…" Percy continued.  
"They can't," Natasha rolled her eyes. "Their wands got taken away."  
"Ssh Natasha, Percy is speaking," Molly scolded her. Natasha pursed her lips.  
"And assuming that they are guarded," Percy said, ignoring his mother and Natasha.  
"They are, but not well," Natasha blurted out. She covered her mouth with her hand. Molly gave her a stern look.  
Beathen raised his hand.  
"Yes, Beathen?" Percy turned to him.  
"We should probably send a decoy," Beathen said.  
"Like the Decoy Detonators?" Percy asked.|  
"No, they won't fall for that – everyone knows about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes now. I was thinking…" Beathen paused and looked around. "Human decoys." His eyes landed on Adler, and he stared at him pointedly.  
Adler immediately knew what Beathen wanted him to do. He sat up a little straighter, and said as confidently as he could, "Humans like us."  
"No," Lucius said sharply.  
"We could distract the guards…" Adler said.  
"While you rescue everyone," Beathen finished off Adler's sentence.  
Natasha raised an eyebrow at Tamsin. She had to admit – this was a pretty brilliant plan. One that would get them recruited onto the rescue team. They hadn't talked about this previously – as things had happened so quickly, but she was glad things were falling into place.  
"You can't," Hermione entered the room and looked at them with sad eyes. "It's too dangerous."  
"We cannot send the youngest members of the Order to be a decoy," Fleur agreed.  
"I thought you supported us being in the Order," Tamsin decided to aid the boys. She directed her statement to Hermione.  
Hermione tried hard to not let them see her face contort a little. "I…I do," she said.  
"I thought being in the Order meant helping out…doing something productive to help _our_ side," Tamsin said loudly.  
"So far, we've just sat around and done nothing," Adler said.  
"Isn't it time that we showed you what we're capable of?" Beathen asked. He caught Natasha's eye, and tilted his head to one side, as if asking her why she wasn't contributing to the conversation, and more importantly, why she wasn't helping them persuade the adults to let them be on the rescue team. She shook her head lightly.  
"The time will come, Prince," Lucius said. "Do you want to end up locked up with your parents?"  
"Lucius!" Narcissa, Molly, Hermione and Fleur all said at the same time.  
"What? I'm only telling the truth," Lucius defended himself.

"I have an idea," Arthur said loudly. Natasha, who had been watching her uncle, turned to look at Arthur. She smirked – she knew he would be the one to change everyone's minds. He was too nice.  
"Yes, Uncle Arthur?" Tamsin asked him. Natasha nudged Tamsin in the ribs excitedly.  
"We will allow you to accompany us on the rescue," Arthur said.  
"What, no!" Hermione protested. Bridget was shaking her head, also indicating that she didn't like Arthur's idea. "Mr Weasley, I beg you to think rationally about this. They're just children."  
"We're not anymore. We're members of the Order of the Phoenix," Beathen said smugly.  
"Besides, _you_ were the one who initiated us," Adler said to Hermione. "Why are you turning on us now?"  
Arthur cleared his throat, "Just hear me out."  
Hermione sighed, "Okay."

"We will allow you four to accompany us," Arthur repeated. "But you will not be the human decoys. We will be."  
"What?" Sirius, whose head was rested on his arms, snapped.  
"While we, as in the more experienced members of the Order –"  
He was cut off by a loud scoff from Beathen.  
"We _are_ more experienced," Percy said, supporting his father.  
"Anyway, while we are distracting the guards, the kids will sneak in – there is a more likely chance of them getting in undetected than we are," Arthur said. His ears were bright red.  
"That's right, the others were caught because the area detected they were full-grown wizards," Severus nodded.  
"Excellent," Beathen whispered to Adler.  
"We will probably be able to hold off the enemy for a certain amount of time, but it will probably take all our efforts," Arthur continued. "In that time, Beathen, Adler, Natasha, Bridget and Tamsin will split up to release Harry and his team from the broom shed and find where their wands are hidden. That should take you around twenty minutes…half an hour, maximum. After that, you need to Apparate back here. We will meet you when an hour has passed."  
"Do I have to go with them?" Bridget groaned. "Why can't I go with you guys?"  
"You know your way around the Burrow," Arthur said simply.  
"Excuse me, Uncle Arthur," Tamsin spoke up. "_I_ know my way around the Burrow."  
"Yes, let Tamsin do it. I don't want to be considered one of the _kids_," Bridget sneered.  
"Hey!" Beathen protested.  
"Okay, okay," Arthur said. "Bridget, you can come with us."

"I don't like this," Hermione voiced her opinion. "I don't like this at all."  
"What's your plan, Hermione?" Natasha finally spoke, and asked her.  
"Well, if it were up to me, you four would stay here and let the adults go," Hermione sighed. "But Mr Weasley is right. They won't pick up your power. And the best thing to do is to draw everyone away from their posts."  
"As much as I hate to admit it," Lucius said. "Weasley is right. His plan is our best hope of getting Potter and the others back."  
"So you'll let us join you?" Adler asked hopefully.  
Arthur looked around at the older members of the Order. Lucius, Narcissa and Vincent nodded at him, while Fleur shook her head slightly. Hermione's lips were tight, Molly didn't look at him, Percy gave him a slight nod, while Sirius and Severus both looked grim. They eventually nodded at him too – Severus quicker to do so than Sirius. Bridget pursed her lips, but the four underaged wizards were nodding so enthusiastically at him that he caved without even thinking it through.  
"Yes," Arthur said. "You may join us."  
"Uncle Arthur?" Natasha spoke up. "I can get Abra to have a look at how heavily guarded the place is before we go?"  
"That's a good idea, Natasha," Arthur said. "I will go. Who wants to come with me?"  
Hermione gave a firm nod, "I will."  
"And I will too," Fleur said.  
"I hope you'll understand that I want to stay with my wife," Percy said.  
"Of course, we understand," Arthur said. "You stay with Audrey."  
He looked to the others.  
"Snivellus and I have business elsewhere," Sirius said.  
"I told you not to call me that," Severus muttered, his nostrils flaring.  
"Can't do that, Snivelly," Sirius said brightly. "Now, let's go."  
He and Severus stood up, wished the others luck and left the room.  
"I'll stay and look after the children," Molly said.  
"I'm afraid I need to rest," Narcissa yawned again. "I'll probably make things more dangerous with my sleep-deprived state."  
"I'll stay and look after the castle," Lucius said. "Unless you need my help, Weasley?" He raised his eyebrows.  
"I think we'll manage thank you, Lucius," Arthur said quickly. "Vincent? Are you staying or going?"  
"I.." Vincent looked around, unsure. "I'll come."  
"Good," Arthur said. "We will plan to leave after lunch tomorrow."  
"Now, everyone, go get a good night's rest," Molly said briskly, standing up. "We have a busy day ahead."

* * *

**A/N:** Did you get the answers to the coded message? If not, here's a possible answer, when uncoded:  
_Relax (stay calm and don't panic). We are coming. The hands of the Weasley clock will all point to 'home', meaning that you (they) will all be home soon.  
[We = the rescue team, they = Harry and his team]._

**Summary:  
**- Tamsin mentions that her mother, Elladora, used to be a Healer.  
- Percy fears that Audrey may be affected mentally. What happened to her? Where is Angelina?  
- Severus Snape is going to use Leglimency on Audrey to find out what happened, once she has woken up and is slightly stronger.  
- THE MEETING:  
~ Percy wanted to go back to the Ministry (which has been destroyed in the fire that Harry cast in like chapter one, as Adler so kindly pointed out), but considering that Angelina and Audrey went and didn't come back with great results, it was ruled too dangerous for him.  
~ After two hours of discussion, they came up with a 'coded' message to send via Patronus to Harry and his team (yes, who are still stuck in the broom shed). They had to code it just in case anyone overheard (I would have said intercepted, but I don't think Patronus messages can be intercepted).  
~ As promised, they discussed the 'rescue' after they came up with the message. Beathen suggested human decoys, Adler suggested that he, Natasha, Tamsin and Beathen BE the human decoys – needless to say, the adults weren't happy about that. Then Arthur Weasley came up with a brilliant plan that involved all of them – _the adults_ would be the human decoys and the young ones can sneak in to rescue Harry and his team. He mentioned that there was a certain magic in the air that detected full-grown wizards (that is, it doesn't detect underaged wizards – like the **boat** in the **cave** that Dumbledore and Harry visited in **Half Blood Prince**).

**What to expect next chapter:  
****- **ADVENTURE – to the Burrow.

**HUGE SHOUTOUTS TO:**  
- misspotter1994: GO READ HER STORIES PLEASE :)  
- Lara: my sister, who always badgers me to write more.  
- Andrew: for always being so incredibly patient and supporting this story. Like a lot.  
- Thusheka: my bffl, and newest reader!

_**I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family have a fantastic and festive time. Be safe and enjoy yourselves! x**_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Everything you recognise belongs to the marvelous J.K. Rowling, everything you don't recognise belongs to my friends and I. The 'Potion of Regeneration' is taken from the game: Minecraft. :)


	9. The Burrow

**A/N:** I just want to reiterate that Ginny and Ginevra are two different people. Ginny Potter is Harry's wife, and Ginevra Black is Regulus's wife - Ginny is named after Ginevra. I'm really sorry if this is confusing. :/

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Burrow**

The Burrow was desolate, run down, and lacked signs of life. The flutterby bushes were wilting, there were no sightings of the infamous garden gnomes, and the wellington boots that were usually so neatly stacked near the door were scattered all around the place. The chickens wandered the barren yard, and the house itself swayed from side to side, waiting patiently for its habitants to return. And yet, The Burrow had not lost its beauty - Molly's hedges were growing finely, and the tree that Arthur had planted was finally sprouting, despite the cold season approaching. The flowerpot that Fred and George had given to Molly remained unbroken near the front door and the forest of trees behind were a deep shade of green, which contrasted brilliantly with the light blue sky scattered with little white clouds (for the weather had decided to be nice today).

Tamsin sighed and sniffed a little. She remembered the last time she was at the Burrow. It was the 31st of August - the day before she was meant to go back to Hogwarts for her seventh and final year.

_*FLASHBACK*  
__"Tamsin, dear, go check up on Roxanne and Fred for me, will you?" Angelina put a hand on Tamsin's shoulder and asked her.  
__"Okay," Tamsin said, putting down a copy of Witch Weekly magazine. "Are you okay, Angelina? You look a bit worn out."  
__"Just stress at work, you know," Angelina tried to give Tamsin a comforting smile, but that just made Tamsin feel uneasy.  
__"Okay," Tamsin said again, knowing that Angelina wouldn't tell her anymore than she already had.  
__She stood up and was about to make her way up the rickety staircase when she heard her name being said in the living room. She turned around and made her way back. She stuck her head around the corner to see who was sitting in there.  
__"We cannot let them know," Elladora was saying. Tamsin couldn't believe it - her own mother was talking about her behind her back! Elladora continued, "They are too young."  
__"Remember, Ella, they are turning seventeen next year," Arthur said to his sister seriously.  
__"Don't tell me that," Elladora said. "I still can't understand how Bridget is seventeen already."  
__"They grow up fast," Hermione nodded her head.  
__"You grew up fast," Molly told Hermione, who gave her a small smile.  
__Harry cleared his throat, "I think we're getting off-topic here."  
__"Yes, you're right, Harry," Hermione said. "Regulus, Amelinda and Severus have all replied saying they will all be doing so. I highly urge you to do the same, Elladora and Darcius. It is the safest option."  
__"It is for the best," Darcius turned to look at his wife, a solemn look upon his face.  
__Elladora nodded, "We will tell the girls -"  
__"What are you doing here?" George said loudly. Tamsin jumped. He was standing right behind her.  
__"Are they alright, Tamsin?" Angelina asked her.  
__"Who?" Tamsin asked, completely forgetting where she was, or what she was meant to do.  
__"Roxy and Fred?" Angelina tilted her head to one side questioningly.  
__"Oh, um, yeah, they're good, I, um, have to go," Tamsin stuttered. She backed away from the door and walked straight into George, who was still standing there. "Sorry!" she exclaimed before making her way quickly to the staircase and climbing up to find the children.  
__*END FLASHBACK*_

Tamsin sighed again.  
"Are you alright?" Natasha asked her. Tamsin noticed that Natasha's hand, which was gripping her wand by her side, was shaking a little.  
"Yes," Tamsin said "Are you alright?"  
"Me? I'm fine," Natasha said as confidently as she could. She gave Tamsin a small smile. They looked over to the boys, who were standing a couple of feet away. They were having a whispered conversation, but their voices were carrying, so the girls could hear everything that they were saying.  
"Do you think that we're maybe a little bit out of our league?" Adler asked Beathen worriedly.  
Beathen shook his head, "This is our chance to prove ourselves."  
"But these people are dangerous," Adler said. "They could kill us."  
"They won't know that we're here," Beathen said. He wanted to tell Adler to stop being a pessimist, but he didn't. Adler didn't say anything, so Beathen continued talking, "Besides, when in doubt, Disarm your opponent, or Stun them."  
"I suppose so..." Adler said uncertainly.

"Alright, guys, gather around," Hermione called to them. They were standing outside the fence that bordered the Burrow, and which marked the Burrow's boundaries. "This is it. We've got one shot."  
"I know we've been over the plan already," Arthur said. "But let's go over it again."  
He motioned for them to come closer.  
"Tamsin, you're leading Natasha, Beathen and Adler to the broom shed, which is on the other side of The Burrow. But you'll be going from the back. So walk around the perimeter of the Burrow first before heading in," Arthur said, looking at his niece seriously. "If you run into any trouble at all, get out, and Apparate to the rendez-vous point, even if you haven't gotten to Harry yet."  
"We won't run into any trouble!" Beathen said confidently. The other three glanced first at each other, then at him. "What? Not if I can help it."  
"Hermione and Bridget, you go around to the broom shed from the sides, and get the guards to chase you down to the front of the Burrow, where Fleur, Vincent and I will be waiting. They'll most likely be notified that we are here though - their detection spells are what caught Harry in the first place," Arthur said.  
"When Abra went this morning, she said that there were only a few guards around," Natasha spoke up. "You guys can deal with that, right?"  
"Of course we can, Natasha," Hermione said. "But we can't be too careful."  
"You need to be prepared to fight too," Arthur told them. "We don't know who's inside the broom shed with them."  
"Okay, okay," Beathen and Adler said at the same time.  
"Enough talking, let's do this," Vincent Crabbe said. "Remember Ryder."  
"We're sure he's with Harry," Tamsin refrained from rolling her eyes.  
"I agree with Mr Crabbe," Natasha said, a determined expression on her face. "Let's do this."

Gripping their wands tightly, Beathen, Adler and Natasha followed Tamsin as she followed the fence-line towards the back of the Burrow.  
"Can you believe we're finally on our own?" Natasha said excitedly. "Doing our own mission?"  
"All that rebelling totally worked," Beathen nodded. "I'm glad we decided to do that."  
"Guys, can we talk about this when we're _finished_ with the mission, please?" Adler asked in a small voice.  
"Not scared, are you Black?" Natasha glanced at her cousin.  
"No!" Adler said, scowling.  
"Sshh, guys," Tamsin said. "Come on, keep moving. There's a path here somewhere, so keep your eyes peeled."  
They walked in silence for a few more minutes.  
"There!" Adler exclaimed. "There's the path. I see the fence gate."  
"Great," Tamsin said. She reached the gate first and pushed it open, but she didn't walk on further.  
"Why are we stopping?" Natasha asked, her voice a little whiny. Beathen nudged her and gave her a look. She pouted, and folded her arms.  
"We're entering the Burrow's perimeters now," Tamsin said. "We have to be alert."  
"Tamsin's right, we must pay attention," Adler said seriously.  
"Come, let's go," Natasha tried to push past Tamsin.  
"Wait!" Tamsin flung out an arm to hold Natasha back.  
"What? Are you expecting alarm bells to ring?" Natasha asked.  
Tamsin shook her head quickly before nodding, and then shaking her head again.  
"Oh, Tamsin, we're not seventeen, right? So we're not fully 'adults' yet. They won't know we're here," Natasha said comfortingly. The hand gripping her wand was still shaking. She grabbed Tamsin's arm with the other hand and pushed it down gently. She then stepped across the barrier and stood on the other side of the fence. She counted to ten. "No alarms."  
The other three sighed and followed Natasha into the Burrow's perimeters. Adler closed the fence gate behind him.  
"I really did expect to hear a Caterwauling Charm go off," Adler said. "But I guess these guys underestimated the power of the Order."  
He kicked a rock on the ground and watched it clatter away along the path. The path took them into a forest of trees, and wound back and forth, not really resembling a path at all. But they followed it nevertheless, for Tamsin was following it, and she was their guide.  
"Hey, I have a question," Tamsin asked. "Are we going to split up or stick together or..." She drifted off.  
"Well, remember what Uncle Arthur said," Adler recalled. "There might be some guards inside the broom shed."  
"There's a whole lotta people in there," Natasha wrinkled her nose. "How are they to get fresh oxygen?"  
"They might have windows or something, Natasha. Think logically," Beathen shrugged.  
"But broom sheds are small," Natasha remarked. "And they most definitely don't have windows."  
"Does it really matter, Natasha?" Adler asked through gritted teeth. "For all we know, they could have grown a tree in there, okay?"  
"But they didn't really -" Natasha began.  
"That was sarcasm," Adler cut across her.  
"Guys, guys," Tamsin called. "Please pay attention. We aren't at the castle anymore."  
Natasha folded her arms, and pursed her lips.  
"Okay, so I think we should stay together until we reach Harry and the others," Beathen said. "Because if there are guards there, we'll need our numbers."  
"That's an excellent idea, Beathen," Tamsin said.  
"I think that after we reach Harry and the others, two of us should go find their wands, while the other two brief Harry on what happened, what is happening, and what will happen," Adler added.  
"Tamsin and I will go find the wands," Natasha said.  
"They won't be able to Apparate until they have their wands, so you two will have to hurry," Beathen said.  
"We know," Natasha said quickly.  
"Don't snap," Adler told her.  
"I wasn't snapping!" Natasha snapped.  
"Guys!" Tamsin called out again.  
They had reached the edge of the forest. A solitary shed stood in the backyard of the Burrow, hiding the back door, and overshadowing the chicken coop - which had collapsed.  
"Do we wait for a signal or something?" Adler whispered. They crouched behind some bushes, peeking through.  
"There! I see Hermione and Bridget!" Tamsin said quietly. She pointed towards the house.

They heard a distant 'hey' from Hermione, and saw Bridget cast a spell. They watched Hermione and Bridget turn on their heels as fast as they could and sprint away towards the front of the house. They saw a few men (they assumed that these men guarded the back door and the front of the broom shed) chase after them, shouting at them, shooting spells back at them.  
"Come on, the coast is clear!" Beathen said, standing up. He ran to the side of the broom shed, with Adler, Tamsin and Natasha closely behind him. He poked his head around to have a look at the front.  
"There are double doors!" he whispered.  
"We'll go to the other side," Natasha nodded at him. She pulled Tamsin's arm and tip-toed to the other side of the double doors. "Tamsin?" she asked. "Do these doors open on the inside or the outside?"  
"I don't know," Tamsin bit her lip. "I think they've extended the shed. I don't remember it being this large."  
Natasha poked her head around the corner, and saw Beathen doing the same.  
"There's someone inside," he mouthed, and pointed towards the door. Natasha gave Tamsin her wand and made an inward motion with her hands, indicating the that the doors open on the inside. Beathen nodded at her. Natasha rummaged in her pocket. They heard something scrape against the ground.  
"Undetectable Extension Charm?" Tamsin asked her in a whisper. Natasha nodded with a smirk. Natasha pulled out a mirror and slid it on the ground towards Beathen, who knew exactly what she wanted him to do with it. He held the mirror at an angle so that he could see around the corner. Natasha leant back and took her wand back from Tamsin.  
"You have a look," Natasha told Tamsin. They heard the doors open.  
Tamsin made a scared face at Natasha and poked her head out. She saw Beathen's hand. He held two fingers up, indicating that there were two guards. She saw him glance into the mirror, and his hand quivered.

Tamsin gasped as she heard footsteps. She saw Beathen's face whiten as well, but he remained calm. Holding out his hand again, and looking into the mirror, he held up three fingers, and dropped them one by one.  
Three.  
Two.  
One.  
Beathen stood up and punched one of the guards in the face, as Tamsin stuck out her leg and tripped the other guard. Natasha pulled out some rope, and tied the guards' hands together behind their backs and levitated them towards the tree, dropping them unceremoniously.  
"Natasha, there are more!" Adler called from the broom shed's front doors.  
"More?" Natasha muttered to herself as she ran towards him, holding her wand tightly.  
The first thing Natasha noticed when she entered the broom shed was a second set of doors.  
"What is this?" she frowned. "Gringotts?"  
She surveyed her surroundings. On either side of these doors (which had been flung wide open) were two chairs. She assumed these belonged to the guards that she had just tied up. She walked carefully into the next area.  
"It's fine, Natasha, take your time," Beathen told her sarcastically. "We've got it all under control."  
Tamsin pushed herself off the ground and felt her forehead.  
"Ugh," she commented to herself as she saw blood. She wiped her hand on her pants.  
Adler too, pushed himself off the ground, but he was, thankfully, unscathed. There were two large holes on either side of the broom shed, and Natasha saw upended chairs and two guards, who were unconscious.  
"Do you want me to deal with those?" she raised an eyebrow at Beathen.  
"I'll do it," Adler offered. He grabbed some rope from Natasha and left the broom shed.  
"Another set of doors," Tamsin stated.  
"I swear to Wizard God that if I see another set of doors, I'll kill the person who designed this thing," Natasha said, glaring at the doors.  
Tamsin pulled on the handle, but the door didn't open.  
"It's locked," she said.  
"Here, let me try," Beathen said. "Alohomora!"  
Tamsin tried the door again, and shook her head.  
"Guys!" Natasha yelled at the door. "If you can hear me, move away from the door."  
She paused for a moment, and looked to Beathen and Tamsin, who both nodded at her.  
"Bombarda!"

The little room was filled with smoke, and they heard shuffling, and someone coughing, towards the back of the broom shed. It was dark.  
At once, as if reading each other's minds, Beathen, Natasha and Tamsin said, "Lumos!" and pointed their wands into the air.  
"Mum! Dad!" Tamsin exclaimed. She lowered her wand and began walking over to them.  
"Tamsin, wait!" Beathen and Natasha called after her.  
"What?" Tamsin turned around.  
"Harry? Are you there?" Beathen asked cautiously, for even though their wands were alight, the light still did not reach the back of the broom shed. The natural light from outside stopped at the second set of doors. Beathen suspected it had been charmed that way.  
"I'm here," Harry's voice came from the left corner of the shed. "Is that you, Beathen?"  
"Are you all in here alone?" Beathen asked. "There are no guards here, right?"  
"No, we are alone," Harry answered. "But we were joined by -"  
"Luna Lovegood!" Natasha cut across him.  
"Hello," a dirty-blonde woman stepped into the wand-light and smiled at them. "Fancy seeing you here."  
There was a creak behind Beathen and he spun around quickly to see who, or what, it was. He sighed with relief when he realised it was only Adler.  
"Hello Adler," Ginevra gave her son a warm look. "It's good to see you again."  
"Um, is Ryder here?" Natasha asked. "Ryder Crabbe?"  
"No, we haven't seen him," Ginny said. She shared a worried look with Ron. "Is something the matter?"  
"No, not at all," Natasha said quickly. "Um, Tamsin and I need to go get your wands now. Adler and Beathen will fill you in!"  
She grabbed Tamsin's hand and pulled her out of the broom shed.  
"Nox," she whispered, and her wand-light was extinguished.  
"I didn't even get to say hello to my parents!" Tamsin complained, pulling her hand out of Natasha's grip. They heard shouts coming from the front of the house, which meant that Uncle Arthur, Vincent, Hermione, Fleur and Bridget were keeping everyone busy. Fifteen minutes had already passed since they parted ways.  
"We're on a mission, Tamsin," Natasha said seriously. "You can say hello later."  
Tamsin huffed. Then she saw the pile of guards stacked not-so-neatly beside the tree, and smirked to herself. _She_ and her friends did that, and she definitely felt proud. She pushed open the Burrow's backdoor and let Natasha enter before her.

* * *

Back in the broom shed, Beathen and Adler were pacing back and forth, while the Order members watched them. They were all there, which was a relief: Harry, Ginny, Ron, George, Bill, Draco, Darcius, Elladora, Regulus, Ginevra, Perseus and Amelinda, and of course, the new addition: Luna.  
"How long have we been in here?" Draco asked, drawling in his usual manner, as if nothing major had happened.  
"A week," Adler replied.  
"How long have you known that we were here?" Regulus asked.  
"Since Wednesday, I think. It's been a long week," Beathen said.  
"Tell me about it!" Ron sighed dramatically. "And the food has been horrifying. Bread and butter - that's all we get. And the butter isn't even good! Blimey, I miss mum's cooking."  
Everyone laughed.  
"So are you going to get us out of here?" George asked. "I'm kind of getting bored with annoying Ron."  
"George, you've been annoying all of us," Bill sighed, making everyone laugh again.  
"Yeah, we'll leave as soon as Natasha and Tamsin come back with your wands," Beathen said. "Should be anytime now," Adler said. "Um, Miss Lovegood, what are you doing here?"  
"Actually," the dirty-blonde woman said in her usual (but very unusual) voice. "It's Mrs Scamander now."  
"You got married to Rolf! We knew it!" Ginny beamed at her close friend. "Why didn't you tell us?"  
Luna gave Ginny a small smile, and ignored her question, before turning back to Adler, "And Adler, the reason that I'm here is a fun little story that we can save for later."  
"Who's looking after the children? Mum?" Ginny asked.  
"Yes, Aunt Molly is looking after the children," Beathen said.  
"Where's Fleur? Did she come along?" Bill asked the boys.  
"Yes, she's fighting out the front," Adler replied.  
"Fighting?" Bill stood up suddenly. "I must go see her."  
"No, you can't!" Adler said loudly.  
"Why not, Adler? She's my wife," Bill said angrily.  
"You can't go out there," Adler repeated. "Because if you do, they'll know that their prisoners have escaped -"  
"We already do!" a deep voice came from the doorway. "Expelliarmus!"

The man at the door pointed his wand at Beathen and Adler. Their wands soared out of their hands, and they were pushed back into the wall. They were all thrown into darkness once more.  
"Sorry," Beathen said to Perseus as he fell.  
"It's no trouble, Beathen," Perseus whispered back to him.  
"Besides the lot out the front, how many of you are there?" the man limped forward, pointing his wand at Beathen's heart.  
"Just us two," Beathen replied calmly. Amelinda grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.  
"You better not be lying to me, boy," the man said. "Now sit there, and shut up. I don't want to hear any talking."

* * *

Tamsin and Natasha had no troubles finding the wands. Abra had found them in her previous trips, and had relayed that information to them before they left for the Burrow that morning.  
"The living room is this way," Tamsin said, leading Natasha through the large Weasley kitchen. Natasha saw a pile of Gilderoy Lockhart books carefully stacked alphabetically on the bookshelf. She assumed they belonged to Aunt Molly - nobody else in the family liked Gilderoy Lockhart. Natasha followed Tamsin through the house, and tried to remember the last time she was at the Burrow. Her memory was blurry, but she decided that it was Bill and Fleur's wedding - twelve or so years ago. No wonder she couldn't remember her way around - not that the Burrow had changed much in that time.  
"There they are!" Natasha exclaimed. She climbed over a patched-up couch, and stood in front of the disused fireplace. "Right here on the mantelpiece. Just where Abra told us."  
Tamsin took the longer, but safer, route (around the patched-up couch) and came to stand by Natasha.  
"Perfect," she said. "Give me half, and then we get back."  
"Wait," Natasha held up a hand to stop Tamsin. "There are thirteen wands here, and only twelve stranded Order members."  
"So?" Tamsin cocked her head to the side.  
"So they must have captured Ryder!" Natasha said. She looked at the collection of wands again, picking them up and examining them. "Look here, this is his wand!"  
"And how would you know that?" Tamsin asked, her lips pursed.  
"I've lived with him for six years. I should know what his wand looks like," Natasha said. Tamsin gave her an amused look. "Oh my god, I didn't mean it like that!" She smacked Tamsin playfully.  
"So what do you want to do?" Tamsin asked. "We have forty minutes before we have to meet with everyone at the rendez-vous point, but Uncle Arthur wants us out in ten."  
"We have to go rescue him!" Natasha said.  
"Can't we just leave him here?" Tamsin suggested coyly.  
"Tamsin! No, we can't!" Natasha said. "Maybe you can take the wands back to our parents, and I'll go find Ryder."  
"Natasha..." Tamsin drifted off uncertainly. "Are you sure?"  
Natasha took a moment to reply, and when she did, it was without conviction, "Yeah, I'm sure."  
"No, you're not," Tamsin argued. "You hardly know your way around the place. I should go find Crabbe."  
Natasha snorted, "You'd probably find him, taunt him with the idea of escape and then leave him there."  
"I'm not that mean," Tamsin said in mock-outrage. "Not really."  
"I suppose it makes sense to have you go..." Natasha said.  
"Here," Tamsin grabbed the wands and shoved them into Natasha's hands. "We shouldn't waste anymore time arguing. Let's just get on with it."  
"Remember the rendez-vous point!" Natasha said. "And take Ryder's wand."  
"Okay," Tamsin said. "See you soon, I hope."  
"Be safe," Natasha said.  
They parted ways at the living room door. Tamsin followed the familiar path to the staircase, while Natasha (shoving the wands into her pockets as she walked) made her way to the back door and into the back garden.

Natasha approached the broom shed uncertainly. It was quiet and dark inside - she had not expected that. She saw a silhoutte in the doorway of the third set of doors.  
"That's not Beathen or Adler," she muttered to herself. "Something's not right."  
Natasha gripped her wand tightly, and tip-toed into the broomshed, hoping that she didn't step on any creaks. She wondered what was going on. She was pretty sure everyone was still inside the broomshed - they wouldn't just _leave_...not without their wands. She stepped closer, and gasped  
There was a man in there! A man she didn't recognise - which meant that they had been recaptured. Natasha wanted to run - she had to admit, she was scared. But she had to go in. And so she did.  
"STUPEFY!" she shouted, pointing her wand at the foreign man. He fell to the ground, and she swooped in, grabbing the wands he was holding. "Grab yours," she said to Beathen and Adler. When they did so, she took the man's wand and snapped it in half.  
"Let's go outside," Beathen said to Harry. "And then Natasha can distribute your wands."  
"Where's Tamsin?" Elladora asked in a panic.  
"She..." Natasha started, but drifted off.  
"Come on, let's go outside," Harry said, taking control, and saving Natasha from answering.  
They all headed outside, where Natasha pulled the twelve wands from her pocket and gave them back to the Order members.  
"We have to go fight out the front," Bill said.  
"Bill, halt!" Harry yelled. He turned to Adler. "What are your instructions?"  
"As soon as you have your wands, we have to Apparate to the rendez-vous point," Adler said.  
"Let's go, then!" Harry said. "Uh, Adler? Where is the rendez-vous point?"  
"12 Grimmauld Place, London," Adler said. "Everyone will meet us there in half an hour."  
"Okay, team, let's go," Harry said. They began running back through the forest of trees that Beathen, Adler, Tamsin and Natasha walked through half an hour earlier. As soon as Harry reached the fence gate, he spun on the spot, and disappeared with a crack.  
"What about Tamsin?" Darcius asked worriedly as Draco, Ron, Regulus and Ginevra disapparated.  
"She's looking for Ryder," Natasha explained quickly. "She'll meet us at the rendez-vous point as soon as she can."  
"We have to go!" Beathen yelled as he saw some people running towards them. People who definitely did not look friendly. People who weren't on _their_ side. "Now!"  
"Let's go!" Amelinda nodded. She disappeared with a crack, and was followed by the rest of them.

* * *

Tamsin made her way up the rickety staircase. Despite all that happened that day, she smiled to herself as she saw pictures of the Weasley family in happier times. There was a picture of Ron looking proudly at Hugo on the first day that Hugo rode a broom. There was a picture of Fleur plaiting Victoire's hair while Victoire plaited Dominique's hair. There was the picture of the Weasley family waving enthusiastically in front of the Egyptian pyraminds. And there was a picture of Bridget and Tamsin, playing together outside. Tamsin passed a window that overlooked the front garden. She peeked out - there was nobody outside! That meant that they had all Disapparated to the rendez-vous point, and she should be doing the same.  
"Looks like it's just me and you, Crabbe," she said, huffing. She hurried up the stairs, checking the rooms as she went along.

She found Ryder Crabbe in the topmost room of the Burrow. She was thankful he wasn't in the attic - she didn't fancy a catch-up with the Ghoul in the attic.  
"Let's go, Crabbe," Tamsin said, by way of greeting him.  
"They sent _you_ to come get me?" Ryder asked in surprise. Out of all the people, he did not expect to see Tamsin.  
"What's wrong with that?" Tamsin said. "Come on, we don't have much time. They'll be checking up on you next. Everyone's gone."  
"Everyone?" Ryder asked.  
"You can ask silly questions later," Tamsin said hurriedly. She noticed Ryder was chained to the wall. "You've got to be kidding me. Here."  
She threw Ryder his wand and told him to free himself. She glanced out the window again.  
"We need a way of getting to the Burrow's boundaries, so that we can Apparate," Tamsin said. "Do you have any ideas of how to get there?"  
"Diffindo," Ryder pointed his wand to the chains, which snapped in half promptly. "Uh, Ron kept a broom in that cupboard."  
"Were you snooping?" Tamsin asked him accusingly.  
"I've been stuck here...how long? Doesn't matter," Ryder said impatiently "Of course, I had a look around."  
Tamsin went to the cupboard, "There's only one broom."  
"Looks like you and I will have to share," Ryder smirked.  
"You've got to be kidding me," Tamsin repeated, a disgusted look on her face. "Ugh, whatever, let's get out of here. Reducto!"  
Tamsin pointed her wand at the wall, and made a hole.  
"Ladies first," Ryder said, holding out the broom to Tamsin.  
Tamsin rolled her eyes at him, and clambered on. Ryder joined her, and they flew out of the room, leaving the Burrow behind them.  
"So where's the rendez-vous point?" Ryder asked, shouting. They flew over some trees. Tamsin ignored him, rolling her eyes. She could see the fence - the fence that marked the boundary. But there were people at the fence. Tamsin gasped, and leant forward, making the broom accelerate.  
"What are you doing?" Ryder yelled.  
"Fire spells at them, quick!" Tamsin yelled back.  
They whooshed over the people on the ground, and landed on a hill not too far away.  
"Leave the broom," Tamsin said. She grabbed Ryder's arm, and spun on the spot.

* * *

"Come on, Tamsin, where are you?" Natasha bit her fingernails in apprehension. She was sitting next to Amelinda, who took Natasha's hand, pulling it away from her mouth.  
"Don't bite your nails, Natasha," Amelinda scolded. "It makes a disgusting habit."  
"Butterbeer?" Regulus asked, holding out a bottle. Amelinda nodded, while Natasha shook her head. She exchanged a worried glance with Adler.  
"I believe that was quite a successful mission," Beathen, who was sitting beside Adler, said quietly.  
"Don't say anything yet, Tamsin isn't back," Adler said worriedly. "We can't say anything until Tamsin's back."  
"She should be back soon," Harry said. "From what you've told me, she knows her way around the Burrow as well as Molly does."  
"Let's just hope for the best," Darcius said, squeezing his wife's hand comfortingly. Elladora gave him a thankful look.  
They sat at the long table in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place, waiting in silence.

And then the door slammed, and a voice called out, "Yoohooo, anyone home?"  
"Tamsin!" Natasha and Elladora exclaimed at the same time. They scraped their chairs back, and hurried up the stairs into the hallway.  
"You're safe!" Elladora hugged her youngest daughter. Natasha stood there awkwardly, until she saw Ryder behind Tamsin.  
"Hi," he said to her.  
"You idiot," Natasha said. "What the hell were you thinking?"  
"I wasn't," Ryder shrugged.  
"You had us all worried sick!" Natasha punched him. "Come on, your dad is down there."  
She prodded him in the back and made him walk down the stairs, where Vincent was waiting for him. Tamsin and Elladora came down into the kitchen as well, and Tamsin hugged her father.  
"Next time, we prepare first before leaving," Ginny said. "We don't want that happening again."  
"Next time?" Darcius asked in his booming voice. "Let's not even think about that. I just want to rest."  
"Me too," came a chorus of voices.  
"I guess we can now say that it was a successful mission," Adler turned to Beathen.  
"I guess we can," Beathen said.  
"And it was all down to you four," Harry said. "Well done, and welcome to the Order of the Phoenix."  
He raised his Butterbeer bottle, and drank to them.

* * *

**A/N: **In case you had forgotten:  
- Amelinda and Perseus are Natasha's parents.  
- Elladora and Darcius are Tamsin's parents.  
- Ginevra and Regulus are Adler's parents.

Okay, a quick **summary**:  
- Beathen, Adler, Tamsin and Natasha sneak into the Burrow (unnoticed) to rescue the stranded Order members. Arthur Weasley, Hermione, Fleur, Vincent Crabbe and Bridget Peverell go too, but they're the fighting team.  
- There's a whole lot of action, where B, A, T and N tie up a few guards and enter the broom shed. As planned, T and N go to find the wands, leaving B and A to do all the talking.  
- Luna Lovegood-Scamander is there! She has a fun little story to share (later on). She also reveals that she has just married Rolf Scamander.  
- The Order members do **not** know about Audrey Weasley's condition yet, nor Angelina's disappearance.  
- B and A do too much talking and get recaptured, but N comes to save the day. T parts ways with everyone else and goes to find Ryder Crabbe.  
- Everyone disapparates back to 12 Grimmauld Place, London, which is the rendez-vous point, and waits impatiently for T to return, preferably with Ryder.  
- T finds Ryder in Ron's old room, and they leave the Burrow riding a broom.  
- Harry (who's like the head of the Order) officially welcomes them to the Order of the Phoenix.

**What to expect next chapter:** (be warned, I haven't actually written the chapter yet, so this is subject to change)  
- Audrey wakes up.  
- Luna tells her story.  
- More stuff about Hector von Rubenstein (I feel we are lacking his presence...).  
- Maybe more about Bellatrix - this depends.

_A note from me:_ I am going on holidays tomorrow, so I probably will not be able to access a). , or b). my emails, so if you leave a review, or pm me, or something, I will not be able to reply until next Saturday (for that is when I return). If there's something urgent, you can tweet me (check profile for twitter username), but if not, I'll see you all in a week's time. Maybe - I don't know when I'll have chapter ten up - I'll try to write a bit while on holidays, but if not, it'll be soon, I hope. Thank you for your continued support - it means a lot to me.

* * *

**Disclaimer**: What you recognise, Queen Rowling owns. What you don't, my friends and I do. I don't think I referenced anything in here...but if I did, all rights go to the person/people who created it. :)


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